Thug Love
by Bethany-Q
Summary: Sequal to Why Do Thugs Fall In Love? Now that John and Lita have found each other and have seemingly overcome their demons, how long will this new relationship last as old enemies conspire against them? John CenaLita, Edge, The McMahons, Candice, Triple
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This story takes place several months after where "Why Do Thugs Fall in Love?" ended. The tone will probably be more serious due to the subject matter, but I will try to throw in some light spots here and there to keep it interesting. Enjoy!

**Chapter 1**

John came up behind Lita as she was packing a traveling bag and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Damn, you are so beautiful girl." He declared and then lowered his head and feathered kisses along her neck.

Lita smiled. It had only been a month since John moved in with her, but the two looked and acted as if they had been a couple forever. From Lita's perspective, they were both exactly where they wanted to be. Both were able to put some of the crap from the past behind them and look forward to what the future held. Lita thought long into the future and dreamt of someday having kids. That was of course after she held the WWE Women's title one more time. John for his part wasn't thinking of kids at all. What he wanted most was to simply enjoy what he and Lita had together right now, as well as once again becoming the World Wrestling Heavyweight title holder.

As John continued tasting Lita through a series of kisses while his hands held tightly to her hips, Lita checked the clock on the wall.

"John, we have a plane to catch remember?" Lita asked, turning to smile at John. She couldn't help but to enjoy how frustrated he was getting with the way she so coolly blew him off.

"Lita, you're killing me. I love you like crazy girl, but right now I wish you were more focused on me instead of that damn plane." John replied.

Lita looked John in the eye and smirked. She placed her hand on his face and then kissed his lips.

"You know you are the most important thing to me John. But after missing our plane last week and showing up late for Raw, I really don't think Vince would share your outlook on time management right now." Lita smiled again at John and then redirected her attention back to the bag she was packing.

John knew she was right and wished that the two of them could just blow Raw completely off and instead take a nice little month long vacation in Aruba.

"You're right. Sorry for wanting you so bad." John said with a smile and then moved to the other room to start packing as well.

Lita watched him as he left. She loved everything about him and especially enjoyed stealing looks his way when he wasn't paying attention.

"Damn, what a cute tush." She said laughing to herself.

oOOOOooOOOOOOooOoooooooooOOOOOOOOoooooOOOoo

The following day Vince, Stephanie and Shane McMahon are assembled in an office with each other and some other key writers for Raw.

"I hate to say it but it's time to take the belt off of Hunter." Stephanie announced.

Stephanie loved Hunter obviously, but the two had agreed long before they were married that they would do their damnedest not to mix business with their personal lives. Stephanie loved seeing her husband with the belt, but from a business perspective, it was time the fans saw it change hands.

"Great idea Steph, give it to Masters. He's big, he's mean and he's the future of this company." Shane said with frat boy enthusiasm.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. Masters? The guy was all brawn and no brain. He was a great heel but beyond that lacked the mic skills and wrestling talent to pull off a legitimate title run. Vince sat back in his chair watching as the tension between Shane and Stephanie began to build. Although very close while growing up, Shane and Stephanie began to grow apart as soon as Stephanie got more involved with the business, and the fact that she married the biggest superstar in wrestling entertainment today didn't help matters either. Stephanie was very much like Vince in a way. She was stubborn, no nonsense and driven. Shane shared in some of those qualities as well, but his biggest downfall seemed to be his lack of focus and temper. If Shane wasn't off bitching about how Vince never listens to him, then he was off screwing around with one of the divas. A bad habit he seemed to pick up from his father.

"Actually, I was thinking the title goes back to John." Stephanie said directing her words directly toward Vince. She knew Shane wouldn't like the idea one bit, but she didn't care. "His hand is completely healed now. He hasn't had any pushes in a while. It's his time again."

"No way Steph. John already had his run. Give it to Masters dad." Shane retorted. His tone now reflecting his growing frustration.

"Stephanie's right Shane. We need to give the title back to Cena. We can market him way better as a champ then we can a guy like Masters." Vince replied.

Shane was pissed, but he knew better than to make a scene in front of Vince. He hated the fact that John would be getting the title again. After all his efforts to run him down, the little bastard would live to see another day in the spotlight. In Shane's mind, this meant that Stephanie once again would be seen as the McMahon with all the power. He refused to be trumped by his little sister.

There was silence in the room. Stephanie held a raised eyebrow. She wished that Shane could understand that she was not trying to make him look bad, she simply wanted what was best for the company, and right now having John Cena as champ was best for the company.

"So that settles it. Stephanie let John know of the story changes when he arrives. We'll start a feud with him and Triple H tonight." Vince said and then got up to leave.

As Vince left, followed by the rest of the group, Shane grabbed Stephanie in the hall.

"Listen Steph, I don't think Hunter's going like having to give up his title to Cena. John doesn't deserve it Steph. He's a trouble maker." Shane said.

Stephanie released her arm from Shane's grasp. Shane may have been bigger, stronger and older, but she refused to be bullied by her brother on this point.

"And Masters does deserve it?" She asked laughing. "Shane, Cena's getting the title back and there's nothing you can do about it. Just get over it Shane." Stephanie said and then turned to leave.

Shane grabbed her again by the arm, this time with more force.

"Don't tell me to get over it Stephanie. I don't take orders from spoiled little girls like you." Shane explained.

Stephanie once again pulled Shane's hand off of her arm.

"Cena is getting the title back end of story. It's not me saying it, its dad too. If you have a problem with that, then take it up with dad." She said again and then walked away.

Shane watched as his sister left. He marched down the hall not bothering to say a word as the wrestlers started to file in to the back of the arena.

As he continued along he ran into none other than his flavor of the month Candice.

"Hey Shane, you look a little pale tonight. You swallow a bird or something?" Candice teased.

Shane wasn't in the mood for her catty humor.

"Listen Candice, take your smart mouth somewhere else. Between you and my sister I'd be the happiest man in the world if the only thing you women could do was fuck and not talk." Shane said.

Candice ignored the comment. She wasn't exactly a poster child for women's lib and the fact that Shane had just insulted her and all women for that matter didn't bother her in the slightest. She was either too dumb or too far gone to be offended.

Candice teasingly stroked the back of Shane's hair with her long fingernails.

"What's wrong Shane? You can tell me." She said hoping to get a juicy piece of gossip to spread to the others.

"Let's just say Cena's going to start hating his life real quick if I have anything to say about it." Shane smirked to himself.

Candice wasn't one of Cena's biggest fans either. She would never forget the way he blew her off. A woman's scorn is a bitch and Cena would soon learn that lesson if she had anything to do with it.

Candice moved in closer to Shane, her hand now moving down his back toward the front of his belt buckle.

"Well if you really want to get Cena, just make up some story about him hitting Lita. The two are quite the item around her you know. I don't think Vince, or Stephanie for that matter, would appreciate the fact that their champion is a woman beater." Candice suggested.

Shane smirked. The idea was way wicked than anything he could have dreamed. Before responding, he looked around to make sure the hallway was clear.

"Candice, I never thought I'd say this, but you are a genius!"

**A/N:** Maybe not the best chapter I've ever written, but I had to get all the logistics out of the way to set up the story. Edge will start to play a big role in this story. Please tell me what you think and I hope you are all intrigued.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

As Edge waited for Lita to arrive to go over script changes for their monologue, Shane tapped Edge on the shoulder.

"Hey man, how's it going?" Shane asked

Edge looked at Shane with a raised eyebrow. He found it odd that Shane was asking how he was doing when he'd never cared before.

"Good, just waiting for Lita. We're on in 10 minutes." Edge replied.

Shane smiled to himself. Edge mentioning Lita was a great segue to what he had been there to discuss.

"Oh yeah, you guys are up first. Enjoy being hated out there." Shane said to break the ice even further.

Edge didn't respond, he just smiled. He was still wandering why Shane was there in the first place. He was quite certain it wasn't so he could wish him luck.

"Speaking of Lita and being hated, it's no secret that Lita and I aren't on the best of terms." Shane continued.

Edge laughed to himself. He had heard Lita curse Shane's name on more than a few occasions. Lita's hatred for Shane ran deeper than Edge could understand. Without knowing all the history between them and how Shane had totally manipulated and used her to hurt John, Edge figured the hatred stemmed simply from the fact that Shane had been on somewhat of a power trip in the last several months.

"Yeah, I know." Edge responded nonchalantly.

"So that's why I'm here. I know you two are close and even though I can't say Lita and I will ever be on good personal terms, she's a great athlete and an important commodity to this company. Regardless of what she thinks I do care about her well being."

Edge loved how Shane used the word "commodity" as if she and all the wrestlers for that matter were simply products to drive ticket sales and not actually people.

"Okay. I'm sorry to be rude Shane, but what are you trying to tell me?" Edge asked hoping that Shane would get to his point and quickly.

Shane folded his arms across his chest and shifted his eyes to make sure no one could over hear what he was about to say.

"Well, some of the other divas have noticed bruises on Lita where they shouldn't be. We're not talking bruises you get from a typical night in the ring, we're taking about bruises that someone has put there on purpose." Shane said.

Adam turned to look at Shane. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I guess what I'm trying to say Edge is that recently Lita hasn't been performing up to her regular standards. I think it has something to do with what's going on when she leaves the arena. I hate to say it, but we all know Cena has a temper. More than a few of the other wrestlers are concerned that he's hitting her." Shane said, again smiling inside.

Edge's eyes grew wide and his jaw stiffened. "Cena better not be hitting her" he thought to himself. But before he could get too angry, he wanted to be certain that what Shane was saying was true. He had been working with Lita for a long time now and hadn't noticed a thing. On the other hand, Lita's not one to let people know when she's hurt. She likes to play the tough girl as if nothing really affects her. What Shane was suggesting was pretty serious and in all honesty it just didn't seem like something John would do to Lita or any woman for that matter.

"Wait a second Shane, John hitting Lita?" Edge asked.

Shane looked around him. A serious look coming over his face.

"It's not me saying it, it's just something the other divas are concerned about. But then again," Shane retracted a little. He didn't want to lay the b.s. on too thick. "You know how women are. They like to gossip and make a big deal out of everything. Women just love to create their own drama." Shane finished.

Yeah, Edge thought to himself, Shane should know all about it. He was a bigger bitch than any one of the divas backstage.

"Sorry man, I just can't believe all this. Me and John aren't exactly drinking buddies or anything, but from what I can tell, he's a pretty cool guy; and he loves Lita." Edge replied scratching the back of his head and trying to convince himself of his own words.

"I hope you're right. I figured if anyone would know the truth it'd be you. Again, outside of business, Lita can live whatever life she wants to, but when her personal life starts affecting her in ring performance, that's when we all start to worry. And between you and me, I wouldn't wish that kind of abuse on anyone." Shane said trying hard to act as if he was truly concerned about Lita's well being.

Edge gave Shane a friendly smile, inside though his stomach was turning. "What if it's true?" He asked himself. The one part of his brain knew it wasn't, but that voice inside his head kept haunting him. If it was true, he didn't want to be the guy who just stood by and let it happen.

Shane gave Edge a friendly pat on the shoulder before he left.

"Hey, good luck out there Mr. Rated R Superstar." He said with a crooked McMahon smirk.

As Shane walked off he knew that Edge would be too smart to fully believe the accusations he'd created against John, but on the other hand he could see Edge's wheels were turning. The seed had been planted and as far as Shane was concerned the first part of his mission had been accomplished.

OoooOOOOOOOooooOOOOOOOOooooooooo

John smiled at Lita and pulled her hair away from her face.

"Lita you're on in 2 minutes." A stage hand told her.

Lita watched as the young woman scurried off while she received further instructions through her headphones.

"Better get to your Rated R Superstar." John said playfully.

Lita rolled her eyes. Both her and Edge couldn't wait until that whole ridiculous gimmick was over. She didn't mind so much the boos from the crowd, and neither did Edge, but she hated having to act like what she and Edge had was nothing but sexual.

Lita and Edge had always been first and foremost friends. The sexual attraction was always there of course and they had both made the huge mistake of acting on this most basic of instincts. Neither wanted to hurt the other or those they loved, but both would always be the first to admit that sleeping together wasn't the brightest thing they could have done. Regardless, their relationship was never about just sex. It was about friendship, respect and trust. The sex just happened to get in the way.

ooOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooo

Off in the distance, Edge watched as John tilted his head to kiss Lita gently on the neck. He could see how her eyes simply lit up with his touch. Edge still felt somewhat guilty for the way things ended between her and Matt. She wanted Lita to be happy and until now thought she had finally found that happiness with John. The look on her face made him smile, but he couldn't cut through the conversation he had just had with Shane. What if that beautiful smile was all an act? What if Lita was just too afraid to act unhappy around John for fear that he would hit her? The questions in his mind tortured him.

"Ready?" Lita asked breaking Edge away from his thoughts and blank stare.

Edge smiled wide at Lita.

"Let's do this girl." He said.

As the two swept the curtain away and started walking down the ramp to the ring, a chorus of boos filled the air. Both had their best acting faces on for the night. As Edge held Lita's hand, he squeezed it tighter than usual. Lita noticed it right away and the suggestion confused her. Edge in his mind made a mental note as he strutted down the ramp and into the ring. Before the night was over, he would be sure to make sure everything was truly okay with Lita. He had to.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

As Edge and Lita left the ring and walked to the backstage area, John Cena greeted them. He bent down and gave Lita a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Good job babe." He said smiling at her.

He then nodded to Edge and held out his hand. Edge nodded back and shook it.

"Yo man what's up?" John said in a friendly way.

"Same old same old. Just trying to be the biggest asshole I can out there. Big heat is better than no heat at all." Edge replied.

"Yeah I know what you mean. I seem to get plenty of it." John said making light of the fact that even though he was playing the role of a "good guy" in the ring, people still seemed to give him heat.

John looked over at Lita. He couldn't wait to leave the arena and take her back to the hotel and away from all the hoopla that was known as wrestling entertainment.

"So I guess you've heard about the title change. Sorry about that man." John said to Edge knowing the fact that John would be feuding with Edge and taking the title away from him would be a little awkward.

Even worse was the fact that Lita and Edge had a real life affair together and now both were continuing to play lovers in the ring. John quite honestly had never liked the idea, but he knew Edge and Lita had no choice. Vince would try to milk their past transgressions for as long as he could, as long as Lita and Edge continued to get the heat from fans.

"No problem. The only heel that's retained the title for more than a couple of months around here is Triple H. And well he's…" Edge said before being nudged in the side by Lita.

"Don't even go there." Lita warned Edge with a smile.

John watched the exchange and couldn't help but to feel a little bit like an outsider. He knew Edge only as an acquaintance and nothing more. But Lita knew him intimately. Edge and Lita had been friends for a long time before sex even entered the picture. John was still unveiling the woman he was in love with. Lita had lots of layers and John wanted to know every one. He wanted to know her dreams, her fears, her sadness and her happiness. Thanks to Shane, they had gotten to see sides of each other that only helped them grow stronger in their relationship. But there was a lot more ground to cover, and if John had any flaw at all it was that he wanted to cover everything and now.

"Listen babe, I'm gonna say goodbye to the fellas. I'll meet you at the security exit." John said and then gave her another quick kiss before leaving.

As he left, Edge watched. He studied John as he and Lita interacted. He tried desperately to see what lie behind his eyes. Was he really the kind of guy that would hit a woman? Edge's first instinct was no. John was one of the boys, he was down to earth and a straight shooter, but since it pertained to Lita, Edge would not dismiss the notion until he knew for sure.

Edge looked over his should and gently grabbed Lita's elbow. He bent down close to her ear and whispered.

"Everything okay Lita?" He asked.

Lita was blindsided by the question. She had no idea where it was coming from. The tone and concern in Edge's voice had her a little worried.

"What do you mean? Of course." She replied almost giggling with embarrassment.

Edge backed away but still held her arm warmly.

"I just want to make sure you tell me if anything is bothering you. Anything at all. We've been through a lot sweetheart, you know you can trust me." Edge replied hoping that if she didn't want to confide in him now about the fact the John may or may not be hitting her, that she would hopefully do so later.

Lita smiled at Edge and put her hand on his cheek.

"I appreciate that Edge, but everything is fine." Lita replied and then gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek before leaving.

While this was happening, John had turned to take one last look at Lita. He had a bad habit of admiring her from a distance. He loved soaking in all her beauty when she wasn't looking. This time though he watched as Edge placed his hand on her arm and then later as Lita kissed Edge's cheek. He couldn't help but to feel jealous. Edge and Lita still shared something that he may never understand. John had almost lost Lita over his jealousy before, and he was damn sure it wouldn't happen again. But this time it was just a little different. The fact that Lita may have been taken in by someone like Shane was one thing. John had not known Lita as well as he does now. He now knows Lita would never purposely have anything to do with an asshole like that. But Edge was different. There was a multitude of feelings there still left over from their affair. Even though both Edge and Lita had moved on, John knew better than to believe that their feelings for each other had now just become meaningless. So regardless of how hard he tried to fight his jealousy now, he knew in the back of his mind the same green monster would reappear again and again.

oooOOOOOooOOOOOOOOooOOOOOOOOoooOOOOOOOOooo

As the wrestlers started leaving and only the clean up crew was left, Shane pulled Candice aside into an unoccupied and darkened hallway.

"Hey beautiful." He said smirking at her.

Candice rolled her eyes. She actually just wanted to get back to the hotel and get a good night's rest.

"I think you need to have a conversation with Edge." Shane suggested.

"Really? What about?" Candice replied with curiosity. She had no problem having a conversation with the tall, handsome Canadian.

"About what we discussed earlier." Shane suggested.

As a blank stare came across Candice's face, Shane grew in frustration.

"About John." He continued with a raised, impatient voice.

"Oh that." Candice replied. The previous conversation she had with Shane now coming back to her.

Candice was more than willing to assist in making John's life a living hell. No man would ever blow her off and expect not to pay some sort of repercussion for their actions.

"We need to convince Edge that John's been hitting Lita. I already planted the seed, but it has to come from more than just me. Edge knows I'm not John's biggest fan." Shane explained.

"Okay, so I verify the story. What about physical proof?" Candice asked.

Shane had been mulling over the same question himself. To really get Edge to believe Lita was being physically abused, there would have to be physical proof. Bruises.

Shane leaned in closer to Candice. While doing so his eyes made their way up and down her body and then rested at her chest area. He smiled as he lifted his hand and placed it caressingly on her breast.

"Guess we'll have to figure something out. You know I don't have time for details like that. Besides, Lita won't let me anywhere near her." Shane said as his hand continued to massage Candice.

"So you want me to do you're dirty work for you." Candice replied frankly.

"I don't believe in hitting women. I raised a gentleman." Shane responded as his lips now descended onto Candice's.

As the two grew heavier in their passion, Candice managed a response.

"My next contract resigning better be a big one Shane." She declared.

While Shane maneuvered Candice toward the ground, the clean up crew turned off the arena lights. Only the hot breaths of Shane and Candice could now be heard as another taping of Raw came to a close.

**A/N: **Man, evil Candice and Shane are fun to write. If you're a fan of either one, sorry, but they just play those roles so beautifully. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter and please let me know if you did or didn't. I'm working my way toward a lot of drama so please let me know if I start losing you all.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"So who all is going to Toronto for the promotion?" John asked as he and Lita lay in bed. The sun had just risen and John and Lita were enjoying a peaceful morning before Lita would have to leave for a WWE promotional trip.

If she had it her way, Amy wouldn't be going at all. She loved moments like these and because of she and John's hectic lifestyle, they were few and far between. She couldn't help but almost fall back asleep as her head rested on John's outstretched arm. The other arm wrapped across her body as his hand gently feathered her skin. At times John's touches were so soft, so sweet, Lita was sure she had died and gone to heaven.

"Randy, Trish, Candice, Dave, me and..." Lita paused for a moment. She really didn't want John knowing that Shane McMahon would be there as well. After everything Shane had done to them, John had still not let go of his anger for the man. It ran so deep sometimes that it actually scared Lita more than she would ever admit.

"And who?" John asked curiously.

Lita hesitated and bit her lower lip. She knew that John would flip out as soon as Shane's name escaped her mouth.

"Shane." She said.

John sat up immediately. Already his blood began to boil.

"You're not going then. It's final." John demand.

Lita looked at John. She pulled a sheet over her chest and sat up behind John kissing gently on his back. She wanted to ease his mind any way she could. It's not like she blamed John for the way he was acting, but all the same she hated being told what she could and couldn't do. She was a big girl, John would just have to deal with it.

"John, don't worry. The guy hasn't said two words to me in months. He knows if he gets near me I'll kick his ass." Lita said and then nudged John in the side playfully. She desperately just wanted to change the subject.

John wasn't buying it though. The whole idea of Lita being miles away from him and knowing that she and Shane would be staying at the same hotel bothered him. It wasn't a subject he could just drop at the snap of a finger.

"I know but I haven't had the title for two months. Now that I have it again I'm sure he's already thinking of ways to piss me off, just to make me look bad in front of Vince and Stephanie. You know him and Stephanie have that crazy sibling rivalry thing. I just don't want to see you caught in the middle again." John confided.

As Lita rested her head on John's shoulder she knew John was right. Who the hell knew what was going on in the mind of Shane McMahon now that John had the title again. Hell, for all Lita knew, she was invited to attend the promotion in Toronto simply so Shane could separate the two and get Lita alone. On second thought, it's not like there weren't other Superstars that would be there. She would just be careful to make sure Dave or Randy was by her side the whole time.

"Please lay back down John. Really, everything will be fine. Shane's all bark and no bite." Lita said as she massaged John's shoulders, finally getting him to turn to her.

When John saw Lita's face he couldn't help but to smile. In his heart he knew Lita would be able to take care of herself. Selfishly he wanted to be her protector at all times, but part of the reason he fell so deeply in love with her was because she was tough. Tougher than most guys he'd crossed on the Southside of Boston.

"I'm sorry babe. I know you could whoop my ass let alone a spoiled little pussy like Shane. Can you forgive me?" John asked, smirking the whole time.

Lita couldn't resist the dimples. It wasn't about forgiving, Lita loved the fact that John was so protective of her. It was about making up and the sex that would surely follow.

ooooOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOO

As Lita stood by the door holding her bags, John ravished her with kisses. Lita envied the fact that at 12:30 in the afternoon, John was still in his boxers with no plans but to workout and then lounge around all day.

"You know I'll be thinking about you the whole time." Lita said as John continued to kiss her.

John could hardly pay attention to a word she was saying.

"John!" Lita said trying to get his attention.

John finally stopped the onslaught of kisses and looked up at her.

"Sorry babe." He said once again smirking.

Lita smirked back and then grabbed for her jacket. As John took a step backwards and watched her, his mind began to wander back to the last Raw taping. He'd been wanting desperately to ask her why Edge seemed more than close to her recently. For days he kept telling himself it was nothing, but his mind kept replaying the moment Edge whispered something to her, not knowing that John had been watching from a distance. That one simple act had been haunting John no matter how hard he tried to erase it from his memory.

"So", John started as his eye drifted toward the ground and he uncomfortably rubbed the back of his neck. "Edge seems to be 'friendlier' than usual." John started.

Lita finished putting on her jacket. She hadn't noticed. But then again, Lita and Edge were so close that even when he showed more concern than usual, Lita figured that was Edge just being Edge.

"What do you mean?" Lita asked.

John held his breath for a second and then breathed out. He knew in his heart that he was probably going to a place he shouldn't be. Especially since Lita was just about to leave town. But, sometime men aren't the brightest creatures in the world when it came to women, and he would be the first to admit it.

"It's just I saw him whisper something to you last Monday. Seemed kind of odd." John replied, trying hard to make it seem nonchalant.

As Lita watched John shift uncomfortably, she recalled the moment when Edge had asked her if she was doing okay. Things were really starting to get weird. First Edge showing extra concern for no reason at all, now John starting to get jealous over Edge showing concern, and all for no reason at all. It was as if a storm was brewing out of nothing and Lita had no control.

"John, Edge and I are friends and always will be. If that's going to be a problem then we need to sit down and talk." Lita said, now starting to get somewhat irritated.

John had no problem with Edge per sea, but the fact that he and Lita were so damn close did strike a chord with him. If John didn't realize it before, he was starting to realize it now. Yes, he hated the fact that Lita and Edge were still such good friends.

"Then we need to talk." He said almost without thought.

Again, John cursed himself not only for his timing, but for the fact that he really was making a little thing into a big thing. Lita for her part couldn't believe what John had just said. How could such a thoughtful and beautiful man be such a jealous paranoid jerk all in one stroke.

"John, how can you be such an asshole?" Lita asked angrily.

She didn't really think John was an asshole, but in this very moment he was and she wanted to be sure he knew it.

While Lita turned to leave John grabbed for her arm. He really didn't want her leaving like this. But just as John tried to grab her, Lita whipped her arm away, opening the door, and then closing it before John could get in another word.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

After a long day of photo ops, interviews and fan signings, Lita, Trish, Candice, Dave and Randy all decided to take a load off at the hotel bar. Randy kicked off the evening by ordering a round of drinks for everyone. Unfortunately for Lita, she really wasn't in the mood to party. Her mind weighed heavy with thoughts of John back home and the way they left things before she left.

Even though John and Lita rarely argued, when they did she hated it. Her whole day had been ruined simply because John had created some sort of delusional image in his mind about Lita and Edge being more intimate with each other than usual.

While Randy waited at the bar for the drinks Candice slithered up next to him.

"Hey tall, dark and handsome." She said getting Randy's attention immediately.

Randy turned and looked down at Candice and smirked. He could barely keep his eyes off of her exposed cleavage.

"Drink?" He asked Candice as he held out a glass of beer in her direction.

"Of course." She said smiling.

Although Randy couldn't deny that Candice was sexy as hell, he had learned from past experience to stay away from women like her. Despite all the flirting, he decided instead that tonight he would just enjoy the view. He didn't want to become victim to another long suspension.

As Candice took the drink from Randy she looked over in Lita's direction. She could tell right away that something was bothering her. A smile came across her face. As Randy excused himself and started to head in Lita's direction, Candice stopped him.

"That's okay honey, I'll give it to her. It looks like she needs some girl talk right now." Candice said as she grabbed the drink intended for Lita out of Randy's hand.

As Candice walked off, Randy raised an eyebrow. Since when did Candice give a shit about Lita, he wondered to himself.

ooOOoooOOOooOOOOoooo

Quite content sitting alone away from the others for the moment, Lita rolled her eyes when she saw Candice heading in her direction. She really couldn't stand the woman. Anyone who would willingly agree to become Shane McMahon's personal sex toy had some serious issues, and was unworthy of the respect that came with friendship.

"Care for a beer sweetie?" Candice asked as she invited herself to sit at Lita's table without asking.

Lita looked at Candice and gave her a sarcastic smile. By the way the day had gone and the fact that Candice was now sitting in front of her, she would need a drink.

"Sure." said Lita as she took the beer and immediately started guzzling it down.

Lita figured, get this drink down and then head back to her room. She had thought all night about calling John and fought the temptation to do so. Maybe it was time she let go of her stubbornness and just do it. She knew she'd have a hard time sleeping tonight if she didn't and the hours were already starting to drag on like a slow torture.

"You look a little down, care to talk about it?" Candice asked.

"Not really." Lita replied taking another long sip from her beer.

"Okay. It's just you really don't look good Lita. I mean, you're starting to look a little pale." Candice observed.

As soon as Candice made mention of it, Lita did have to admit she was starting feel a little light headed. Maybe it was the beer and the rate at which she was drinking it. Whatever it was, she started to feel worse by the minute.

"You know what Candice, you're right, I am feeling a little sick. I think I'll just head up to my room. Thanks for the beer." Lita replied as she began to get up from her chair.

But, just as Lita got to her feet, she stumbled backwards. Lucky for her, her hand reached the table to hold her steady before she could fall to the floor. The dizziness in her head began to worsen.

"Here." Candice said as she got up from the table and took Lita by the arm for further support. "Let me help you to your room. You're not looking too good right now." She offered. Without Lita realizing it, Candice was enjoying every second of her sudden illness.

ooOOOOOoooOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOO

Once Lita and Candice made it back to Lita's room, Candice opened the door and flipped on the light. Candice continued to support Lita as they made their way toward the bed. All at once Lita's head began to spin at an increased rapid rate, and sweat now began to form on her brow. All Lita wanted to do was get into bed and sleep whatever it was that had overcome her off. Unfortunately for her, the closer she got her bed, the blurrier it looked. She then started seeing double. In what would become a critical misjudgement in Lita's part, she practically lunged for the bed. Meanwhile, Candice gave some slack which sent Lita crashing to the floor, the side of her face and body ramming hard into the night stand on the way down. Sure enough, blood started to form on the bottom left hand side of Lita's lip. A red mark now stained the left part of her cheek which would surely leave a mark. Worse yet, is that Lita was unaware of any of it. She was out cold.

Candice smiled as she reached for her cell phone and started punching in the numbers.

"Shane, it's me." She said with a smile on her face. "You might want to come to Lita's room. I have a surprise for you."

ooOOOOOoooOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOO

When Shane arrived he saw Candice leisurely sitting on Lita's bed, with Lita lying on the ground. He noticed right away the blood coming from Lita's mouth.

"Woah, what the hell happened here?" He asked pleasantly surprised at what he saw.

Candice got up from the bed and then started to dig through her purse. Once she found what she was looking for she handed it to Shane.

"Read the label." Candice requested as Shane held a small bottle.

"If taken in excess may cause severe dizziness, memory loss and inability to operate heavy machinery." Shane read aloud. Raising his hands in innocence he continued. "I don't even want to know what you did or how you did it, but I like what I see."

"This is the last favor I do for you Shane. As long as no one finds out and John gets all the blame, I'm happy. But if somehow Lita's little accident here ends up getting blamed on me, I'm taking you down with me." Candice threatened as she seductively moved her fingernail across the bottom part of Shane's chin like a cat.

Shane gave Candice a crooked smile. He loved it when she tried to act as if she was in control.

"You've got nothing to worry about Candice. Why don't you just go and get a good night's rest. You deserve it." Shane said as he smiled wide at his new favorite whore.

Candice looked at Shane and then took one last look at Lita. She really did feel sorry for her as she lay there helpless, but in the end she would wake up with a few bumps and bruises and that's all. Nothing the Queen of Extreme couldn't handle. What worried Candice more was the fact that Shane would now be alone with the beautiful and lovely Lita. Scratch that, the beautiful and lovely unconscious Lita.

"You're not going to do anything stupid now are you Shane?" Candice asked hiding the fact that she really did want to make sure Lita would be okay.

"Come on Candice, what kind of guy do you think I am? You really think I'm so hard up I'd need to fuck an unconscious woman?" Shane asked innocently.

"Horny and hard up are two completely different things Shane." Candice snapped back.

Shane couldn't help but to smile at the comment.

"Don't worry Candice. I'm neither right now." He replied.

Candice rolled her eyes and then finally turned to leave. As soon as she was gone, Shane bent down and picked Lita up off the floor. The dead weight of her body had Shane using more muscle than he expected. Once he finally got her on the bed he looked her over and smiled some more. He felt almost like a kid in a candy store with the fleshy part of her breast exposed by the sexy and revealing top she was wearing.

Shane looked around the room and then sat down next to her on the bed. He couldn't help but to think back to the night the two of them had sex. He placed his hand on the inner part of her thigh and then slowly let it drift up to her breast, making sure to take in every curve of her body along the way. While this was happening, getting close to her ear he started to whisper.

"Man, you sure were a good fuck baby doll. Too bad you're such a bitch. I might have actually given you a second chance with me." He told her smiling and then bending down even closer he playfully licked the blood off her lip and ended by taking her lips in his for a kiss.

After getting a good taste, Shane stood up and wiped off his mouth. He didn't want any trace of Lita's blood on him. Taking one last look at Lita's immobile body, Shane smiled to himself then flipped off the light and turned to leave.

Just as he had closed the door behind him, the phone began to ring; but no one would hear it. After five rings the caller gave up. Somewhere in the night, John was missing Lita terribly and wanted to apologize. But for all his good intentions, he would have to wait.

**A/N:** Hope that wasn't too much. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for John and Lita. More drama coming up. Sorry it was such a long chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

When Lita woke up the next morning she felt as if she had been hit by a truck. The moment she tried to lift her head off the pillow, she groaned from the pain.

"Oh my God, how much did I drink last night?" She asked herself.

The last thing she remembered was hanging out at the hotel bar and sipping on a beer. She was upset over the whole John situation when she then remembered Candice sitting down next to her and offering her a drink. From that point on, nothing, she couldn't remember a damn thing more.

After holding her arm over her aching head for a good five minutes or so, Lita made a second attempt to get out of bed. Then struggling a bit, she finally made it to her feet. At first she almost stumbled backwards, but she was able to catch herself before she fell.

Slowly making her way to the bathroom she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. That's when she noticed right away the busted lip and the bruise on the side of her cheek.

"Holy shit!" She said to herself as she placed her hand gently on the bruise to test its authenticity.

Now she really started to wonder just how much she had to drink. Lita in the past had her fair share of drunken, sloppy nights, but it had been a while since she'd let herself get that messed up, especially in front of her co-workers. For all she could figure, she drank too much, too fast and in a short amount of time. All in an effort to stop thinking of John.

As Lita cleaned her face she laughed to herself. She was completely embarrassed by the fact that she had allowed herself to get so shit faced. So much so that she somehow must have fallen down causing her to bust her lip wide open and bruise not only her face, but the whole side of her body as well. At this point, the thought of being drugged never entered her mind. She only hoped that whatever spectical she made of herself last night didn't get back to John or the rest of the WWE wrestlers. The ribbing she would have to endure would be unbearable.

ooOOOOooOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOOoo

After taking a shower and putting on more make-up than normal in an effort to cover the marks on her face, Lita wanted to call John before she got on the plane to head home. She had thought about calling him the previous night, but at this point she couldn't remember if that ever happened. Hell, she couldn't remember if she was even still mad at him. She felt like a complete idiot for allowing herself to get so intoxicated, that whatever immature jealous feelings John was showing before she left, now paled in comparison.

"Hello?" John answered

"Hey babe it's me." Lita said.

John breathed a sigh of relief. He had tried desperately to call her last night but with no answer. He guessed she was still so pissed at him that she refused to even answer his calls.

"Listen baby I'm sorry for being such an ass. I admit, am jealous sometimes of you and Edge and I'm sorry. Please forgive. I trust you and I know you would never do anything to hurt me." John started off, almost rambling.

He had been holding his emotions in all night, now he just wanted to know that Lita was okay. He hated drama and hated even more when Lita was angry all because of his stupid speak before thinking mouth.

"Hold up John, its okay, I'm not mad. We can talk about it when I get back. Right now I'm just embarrassed as hell."

John raised an eyebrow. He had no idea what she was talking about.

"You'll see when I get home, but I don't want you to freak out. I just fell. No big deal." Lita explained.

Now John was really confused. How was he not supposed to worry? What the hell was she talking about?

ooOOoooOOOoooOOOOoooOOooo

While Lita and the other superstars waited for their plane, Randy approached Lita.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

Lita had managed to cover up the bruises on her face and the cut lip pretty well. So the fact that she was hiding something behind her makeup was completely lost on Randy.

"What do you mean?" Lita asked nervously.

"Dave and I saw Candice helping you out of the bar last night. I didn't realize you had that much to drink." Randy said.

Lita looked around. She hated the fact that people she worked with saw her at one of her lowest moments.

"Randy, please do me a favor, don't let that get around okay? I'm not proud of what I did. I was just a little more upset last night than I thought." Lita replied.

Randy smirked at Lita. He respected her as a wrestler and a person. Any other one of the diva's he probably would have just teased them to no end, but with Lita he knew better. She was a cool girl, not a prima dona at all. He had no intention of making her feel worse than she already was.

"Don't worry Lita. You won't hear anything more about it from me. We all have rough nights like that. God knows I've done more things I'm not proud of in the last two years than you've probably done in your entire life." He finished as he smiled down at Lita hoping she knew he could be trusted.

"Thanks Randy." Lita replied sincerely.

Randy gave Lita a wink and a crooked smile before walking off to join the others.

Lita checked her watch. It seemed like they had been at the airport for hours. All she wanted to do was get home without any more questions. She knew she would have to answer a lot of them from John. Questions she probably wouldn't be able to answer. She hoped he wouldn't make a big deal out of the whole thing, especially when they had other issues to discuss. One of those being Edge.

Lita would be working closely with Edge at least until the end of the year. If John was going to be a jerk about it the whole time, Lita wanted to know.

"Plane just arrived, we need you on board." Lita heard from behind.

When she turned she rolled her eyes. It was Shane. Lita had managed to avoid him the whole trip and she guessed he was probably doing the same. Nonetheless, there he was in all his smug glory.

"Thanks Shane, I'll be there in a second." She answered lowering her head slightly so that Shane would not notice her face.

Shane smiled down at her as he crossed his arms across his chest. He laughed inside as he watched her desperately try to avoid making eye contact with him. He was quite impressed with the way she had managed to cover the marks on her face, but at the same time knew it would simply be a matter of time before someone noticed.

"Good girl." Shane said smiling and then just before leaving turned to her one last time. "Oh, by the way, the next time you decide to get drunk in public, make sure it's on your own time and not the company's time. We can't have or superstars looking like a bunch of juvenile delinquents." Shane warned and then left.

Lita stared at him as he walked away. Since Shane wasn't at the bar she figured Candice probably told him all about her little drinking binge. Lita refused to let Shane get to her though. She knew that is exactly what he wanted and she refused to let that happen. She only hoped that one day he would be paid back for being such an asshole and that she would be there to witness it.

**A/N**: Thank you so much guys for the reviews. They are really helping me to know what's working and what isn't, as well as keeping me excited about continuing to post. Glad you guys are "getting it" so far.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

When Lita arrived home she dropped her bags to the floor as soon as she walked through the door. Her body still ached and she was exhausted. All she really wanted to do was sleep the rest of the day and not wake up until the next Raw. She hoped at least by then the bruises will have gone and her body would feel back to normal. Unfortunately for her, Raw was in two days.

"Hey baby!" John greeted her with a huge smile on his face.

He had been counting the minutes until she would arrive home. When he finally saw her he couldn't help but to lift her off her feet in a bear hug like embrace.

"Ouch!" Lita moaned.

Normally such an enthusiastic hug would have been welcomed, but not today. As soon as John heard Lita moan in pain he let her go and took a step back. Immediately he remembered that she mentioned something about falling while she was in Toronto to him earlier.

As Lita rubbed the side of her arm, John looked her over closely. He saw some discoloring on her arm. A bruise for sure. Then he looked at her face. The first thing he noticed was the unusual amount of make up she was wearing. He looked closer. Then he could see it, one huge bruise on her cheek and a cut lip.

"Lita, baby, what the hell happened?" He asked concerned about her condition.

Lita looked away. Even though she and John shared no secrets, she was still embarrassed over the whole situation.

"Well John, me and some of the other wrestlers had a few drinks last night at the hotel bar. I was upset over the argument we had before I left. I guess I just had a little too much to drink and fell." Lita explained trying hard to recall an evening she really had no memory of.

"You fell? How much did you have to drink Lita? Why wasn't Dave or Randy looking out for you? Didn't anyone notice how drunk you were getting?" John asked.

He and Lita had often times held there own when it came to drinking. John has seen Lita tipsy on several occasions, but never fall down drunk. It just didn't sound like something she would do. Not only did she have a pretty high tolerance, but she also knew when to stop.

"John, it's no one's fault but my own. I'd rather just forget about the whole thing." Lita replied.

"Did anyone see you fall? Were you alone?" John asked.

"I'm not sure to tell you the truth. All I can remember is being at the bar drinking and then waking up the next morning feeling like crap." Lita explained. "Apparently Candice is the one who helped me back to my hotel room."

As soon as John heard the name Candice he began to get suspicious. For all he knew, Candice probably let her get drunk just so Lita would look like an idiot in front of her peers. Getting "help" from Candice is like the kiss of death. John knew that Candice doesn't help anyone unless there's something in it for her.

"Candice huh? Was Shane there during any of this?" John asked knowing where there's smoke, there's fire.

"No thank God, but he did find out about what happened and gave me a warning about drinking on company time before we all boarded the plane." Lita confessed.

"The nerve of that guy." John spat. "Fuck him and his warning!"

John was getting hotter by the minute.

"Listen Lita, just stay away from Candice. She is nothing but trouble. And as long as she's sleeping with Shane, she can't be trusted. As far as Shane goes, I might have to have a few words with the hypocritical son of a bitch." John finished.

"No John, please don't. I'd just rather you forget about the whole thing. It's embarrassing enough. If you start confronting Shane then he'll get pissed and use it against us. Just let it drop." Lita begged.

She could still see the anger in John's eyes and wasn't completely sure he would comply. She grabbed him gently by the arm.

"Please baby, for me." She begged as her pleading eyes held John's. The expression on her face practically melted him into submission.

John smiled at Lita as he brushed his thumb gently across the bruise on her face. He hated the fact that he wasn't there in Toronto to watch over her. She never would have gotten so drunk had he been there.

"Okay Lita, for you." He replied smiling even wider as he continued to caress her face. "You know, even with a few cuts and bruises, you're still the sexiest WWE diva ever. I kind of like the tough look." John said jokingly.

"Tough, that's right, and don't you forget it." Lita replied as she moved her face closer to John's until their lips softly met each other in a soulful kiss.

oOOOoOOooooOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooOOOOOOOoo

When John and Lita arrived backstage at Raw, Lita was already in full make-up. Even though she had now fully recovered physically, the marks were still there.

"Okay now promise me you'll take care of yourself out there tonight. No more bruises. People might start to wonder, you know what I mean?" John said to Lita jokingly as he looked at her holding her face in his hands. Little did he realize that his words would soon become a reality.

"Yes daddy." Lita replied sarcastically with a smile on her face.

John smiled back and kissed Lita before heading off to go over his match with Umaga. Lita went the other direction to meet with Edge. Not only were Lita and Edge called on to do the opening promo, but to also have a match later on in the evening as well.

oOOoooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooOOOOo

"Any changes for tonight?" Lita asked as she approached Edge who was reviewing the script outline for the show.

In the back of her mind Lita was hoping for a last minute change. In her condition she really didn't want to have to be in the ring.

Edge turned and looked at Lita.

"None yet." He replied as he turned back to review the script before handing the paperwork off to Lita.

"Here you go. You want to look it over?" Edge asked.

As Lita went to take the script from Edge, Edge noticed a discolored mark on her arm. At first he thought maybe it was a smudge of some sort, but then looking at her further he noticed something even more awkward about Lita. Her make-up. Edge couldn't recall the last time he remembered her wearing so much. Sure, her character called for her to look as slutty as possible, but this was ridiculous.

"What's up with all the make-up Lita? They hiring interns to do make-up now for the divas?" Edge asked in a sarcastic manner.

Lita cursed herself. She didn't want to have to start lying to Edge.

"No, I did it myself." She confided.

As Edge rubbed the bottom of his chin, the look on his face turned from a smirk, to something more serious. Not only was Lita's arm discolored, but there was a small cut on her lip. Edge couldn't help but to think the worst. Ever since the seed had been planted about John having a bad temper and sometimes taking it out on Lita, Edge had found himself being a little more protective around her than usual.

"Care to tell me how you got that cut on you lip?" He asked point blankly.

Lita's heart almost fell to her stomach. The fact that she was still living under a shadow of guilt for what she thought she did in Toronto was already too much to bear. Edge had almost become like a brother to her since their breakup. She feared he would only be disappointed in her for being such a lush.

"I fell." Lita said nonchalantly.

"You fell, since when did you become so clumsy?" Edge asked. The suspicions of John getting rough with her now becoming stronger in his mind.

"It happens Edge. No big deal. Can we just change the subject please?" Lita replied now getting somewhat testy.

For the most part, she had been doing a pretty good job of covering up her bruises. No one had noticed except of course John and now Edge. Leave it to Edge though to pick up on something like that. The two knew each other like the backs of their hands.

Edge at this point didn't want to make a scene. He could tell Lita was embarrassed, but at the same time he wasn't about to just sit by and let John beat on her. His mind raced as he thought about what to do. The first thought that stole into his mind was to simply kill John, but Edge knew better. He would confront John about it that was for sure, but he needed to wait until he cooled down. On the other hand, the last thing he wanted to see Lita do was go home with the man after the show. God only knew what he might do to her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

While Lita and Edge were in the ring finishing up their opening promo, John was off to find his opponent for the night Umaga. Instead, what he found was Candice.

Just the sight of her made him sick and on any other occasion he would have simply walked on by without even acknowledging her presence. But tonight, he had some business to take care of.

"I don't know what the hell happened in Toronto Candice but I want you to stay away from Lita. She doesn't need your help." John said walking up to her, and as she turned, getting into her face.

As Candice looked at John she could see right away the anger in his eyes bearing down on her. His chin was strong and his face stern. The sight of him made her gasp. It was as if he came out of nowhere.

"Listen honey, I have no idea what you are talking about." Candice replied as she tried desperately to use her sexuality, the one fail proof weapon she thought she had.

Candice made the mistake though of misjudging John's character. It was easy enough for her to get out of sticky situations with guys like Shane, Vince and some of the other weak minded men backstage, but John wasn't buying any of it. Although he was raised to never disrespect a woman, and to this point had pretty much lived up to that demand, something about Candice made him lose all sight of right and wrong. It was one thing for her to play games with him, but when it came to Lita, he would not let her get away with it.

John moved closer to Candice until she had backed herself into the wall. Still bearing down on her with an intensity in his eyes she had never seen before, John raised his hand and slammed it hard against the wall right next to Candice's head.

"Don't play stupid with me Candice. Lita has bruises all over her. I find it hard to believe she just got really wasted on her own. You were with her at the bar, you helped her to her room. If you were just being a Good Samaritan like you want everyone to believe, then how the hell did she fall?" John asked demanding an answer.

Candice looked around to see if anyone was near. John had her pinned to the wall and she was terrified. By the state John was in she knew he would not let her leave without giving him some kind of an answer. Unfortunately for Candice, instead of using her own common sense, she resorted to more games. The last thing she wanted to do was tell John the truth.

"So this is the thanks I get for helping out your girlfriend? How is it my fault Lita can't handle her own liquor?" Candice asked.

John was now fuming. He hated the way Candice was acting so nonchalant about the whole thing. He knew there was more to it than that and if Candice wanted to play games, he would do whatever it took to get the truth from her.

Without even thinking John grabbed Candice by the arm.

"Tell me the truth damn it Candice!" John yelled in her face.

Just as this was happening, Edge and Lita turned the corner. From Edge's perspective all he saw was John aggressively grabbing Candice by the arm. The vision of him doing the same thing to Lita and worse now tore through his mind.

"Get your hands off of her John." Edge yelled as he ran toward John and punched him in the face.

Immediately the two were on the ground in an all out brawl. Lita screamed and begged them to stop, but neither one could hear her or would even listen for that matter. Candice in the meantime moved out of harms way. She too was shocked at what was happening.

Within seconds, Triple H, Randy, Ric Flair and Stephanie McMahon came running around the corner to find out what the commotion was. All of them were stunned by what they saw. Edge and John going at it like a pack of wild dogs. Immediately, Hunter, Flair and Randy jumped in to try and break the two apart. By this time Shane had also entered the scene. Instead of sharing the same stunned looked as the others though, he couldn't help but to smirk. As Stephanie turned to see her brother just standing there while the other three men were trying to put a stop to the fight, she elbowed her brother in the arm.

"Well don't just stand there Shane, help." She demanded.

Shane raised his hands as if to say, 'not me', and shook off the suggestion. There was no way he was going to get in the middle of that mess.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. She had half a mind to just throw him in there and force him to help, but there was no need. Within minutes, Triple H managed to subdue Edge, while Randy and Flair took control of John and pushed him backwards.

"What the fuck is going on here guys?" Triple H yelled almost out of breath.

John and Edge stared at each other. Their breaths were heavy and both of them were now sporting bruises on their faces. To say that one had gotten the better of the other would have been a mistake. Both of them looked like a pair of mangy dogs.

"Apparently The Champ here likes to beat up on girls." Edge spat.

John couldn't believe what he was hearing. The fact that he had grabbed Candice by the arm may have looked bad, but John was not that kind of guy. In all honesty, he simply wanted to scare Candice, his intention was never to physically hurt her. But for Edge to even say such a thing made his blood boil. As Hunter had loosened his grip on John, John made one more attempt at Edge. Luckily for both men, Randy was able to hold John back.

"Hunter, get John out of here." Stephanie demanded. It was obvious Edge and John needed to be out of each other's sight before someone really got hurt.

As Triple H and Flair led John away, Lita followed. She was a strong woman but what she had just saw and heard brought her to tears. She had no idea what had gotten into John. Sure she had seen him lose his temper before, but nothing like this. The way John grabbed Candice and went after Edge scared the hell out of her. It was as if Lita had been with a man this whole time and really didn't know him at all.

Stephanie knew she would have to have a conversation with John. Regardless of what Candice did, regardless of what Edge said to him, John's actions were inexcusable. John was the WWE Champion. His conduct backstage and outside the ring had more impact on the business than any of the other superstars.

Right now though she directed her attention toward Edge.

"Start talking." Stephanie demanded.

Before Edge could reply, Stephanie turned to Randy and gave him a look. Randy knew right away that was his cue to leave. Candice started to follow close behind but Shane grabbed her arm in a way that would go unnoticed to Stephanie. He bent down and whispered in her ear.

"Come on, don't you want to stay and hear how beautifully everything turned out?" Shane asked with a smirk.

To be honest, Candice had had enough. She decided then and there that she didn't want to have anything more to do with Lita, John or even Shane for that matter. The way that John had gotten in her face earlier terrified the hell out of her. She could only imagine what he would do if he knew the truth. Not only was he likely to kill her, but Stephanie would probably fire her, Hugh Hefner would revoke her upcoming Playboy layout, and Lita would probably finish off whatever was left. At this point, Candice didn't care what John did to her in the past. She had gotten in over her head and now she wanted out.

Candice pushed Shane away.

"No thanks Shane, I've had enough of this and you as well." She said and then darted off around the corner.

Shane watched her leave with an amused smile on his face. The fact that Candice no longer wanted any part of Shane didn't bother him in the slightest. He was getting bored with their affair anyway. Now that there were a whole new slew of divas backstage thanks to the Diva Search, Shane no longer had time for Candice.

As Edge finished brushing himself off, he looked at both Stephanie and Shane. His adrenaline had not slowed since he saw John with Candice.

"Stephanie, you have to do something about John. He's been hitting Lita." Edge exclaimed.

Stephanie couldn't believe the accusations Edge was making. She started to wonder if maybe he was making up a story just to make John look bad in the hopes of winning Lita back for himself. On the other hand, Edge was not the vindictive type. Except for the confidence factor, he was the complete opposite of the character he played on TV. Besides that, John and Lita have been together for several months now. If Edge was going to try and separate the two, he would have done something way before now.

"Edge, you need to be careful when you accuse people of something so serious." Stephanie responded trying to be as diplomatic as possible.

"She has bruises all over her." Edge returned angrily.

Stephanie looked over at Shane who stood by with his arms folded across his chest.

"It's true, she does." He said nonchalantly agreeing with Edge. His face struggling to hide his content.

Stephanie paced back and forth. She felt a headache coming on and wished that her father was there to set everything straight. He was much better at just being a businessman and seeing black and white. Stephanie on the other hand was prone to get emotional. In other words, she truly did care about John, Lita and Edge. The decision she would have to make could seriously damage any one of their reputations.

"Listen Edge, you need to stay away from John. I'm going to rewrite next week's show. I want you to take a week off." Stephanie requested.

Edge didn't like her answer at all. He wanted to be there to make sure nothing more happened to Lita or at least just to talk to her. As far as he was concerned John's true colors came out tonight and in Edge's mind there couldn't possibly be any other explanation for the cuts and bruises on Lita's face and body. John had beat her and that was the only conclusion possible.

"Sure Steph, whatever you want, but if John lays another finger on Lita, I'll kill him." Edge said as he walked off.

Stephanie turned once more to Shane with an eyebrow raised. To think that Shane would offer her any support or words of advice would have been foolish on Stephanie's part. Instead, Shane simply shrugged his shoulders and walked away.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"What the hell is your problem man?" Triple H screamed in John's direction.

He and Ric both were annoyed with the young superstar. Triple H still hated the fact that John was coming close to holding the title for as many times as he has, but for Stephanie's case he had pretty much gotten over it. What he couldn't get over was that every young guy who waltzed into the business today thought they could just make their own rules by acting like a bunch of juvenile delinquents.

"What's my problem? Candice is my problem. Edge is my problem." John shouted back still out of breath from his fight with Edge.

It seemed that right now everyone was against him and he had no idea why. How the hell did everything suddenly spin so out of control he asked himself. He now regretted even confronting Candice in the first place, but in his mind it needed to be done. As for Edge, the guy was obviously trying to be Lita's knight in shining amour. John was beginning to wonder just how close of friends they truly were.

Triple H got close to John's face and pointed a finger hard in his chest.

"Listen Cena, I'm not real concerned about your personal problems, but I am concerned about your attitude. If you don't like Edge and Candice, stay away from them. Problem solved. Got it?" Triple H asked sternly.

John looked at Triple H with anger in his eyes, but then just over his shoulder he noticed Lita standing off in the distance. He bit hard to swallow his pride for her sake.

"Got it." John returned.

Triple H looked at Flair and raised an eyebrow. The last thing he wanted to have to do was play big brother. He gave John a direct request and didn't feel the need to drag anything out any longer. Time would tell if John was listening or not.

Triple H held his glare at John a few moments longer and then softened. The guy came across as a real hard ass, but deep inside he was a softy. His intention was never to embarrass John, but his best interest did lie with the WWE. And as one of the senior wrestlers in the locker room, he had to be an asshole every now and then just to keep the young guys in line.

As Triple H and Ric turned to leave they passed Lita in the doorway and gave her a sympathetic glance. Both of them respected her as one of the top wrestler's in the business. They hated to see her caught up in all this drama.

"Better talk to him. If what I said doesn't put an end to all this, maybe you can. Otherwise, the reality is John won't be holding the title much longer." Triple H told Lita and then walked away.

Lita watched Flair and Triple H leave before directing her attention back to John.

She had asked John to forget about the whole Toronto thing, but he didn't. Instead he had to confront Candice. She had seen John's get jealous of Edge before and asked him to let it go, but instead he decided to engage in an all out brawl. Things were starting to build up and Lita was beginning to wander if things would only get worse.

John stared at Lita, the anger in his face now losing ground. He wanted to walk over to her and hold her. Tell her he was sorry. But he could tell that's not what she wanted at the moment.

"Okay John, I'm not even going to bother discussing what I saw you doing with Candice, but we do need to talk about Edge."

As soon as he heard the name Edge come from Lita's lips, John's anger again began to boil to the surface.

"Yeah, let's talk about Edge, your knight in shining amour."

Lita raised an eyebrow as John continued.

"Where does he get off accusing me of beating on women? You know and I know I would never hit a woman." John said.

"He saw you grab Candice and yes, he jumped to conclusions. He was wrong, I agree, but his heart was in the right place. You on the other hand are acting like a child. No, Edge is not my knight in shining amour, but he is like a brother to me. Get over it." Lita said.

She wanted at that moment to shake some sense into John. She loved him dearly but hated that whenever Edge's name came up, he resorted to calling him names or making statements that he knew would get under her skin. She thought John could handle it. Given the fact that Edge and Lita work so closely, Lita had to admit it would be hard for any man to deal with. Lita and Edge had so much history between them. But John wasn't just any man, and the love that Lita and John shared felt strong. So strong that it was beyond boyish jealousy, or so Lita thought.

"Lita, I am sorry. But Edge has no business accusing me of anything. It's almost as if he's just trying to make me look bad. Are you sure he doesn't want you back?" John asked sincerely. He thought it was a fair question.

Lita took in a deep breath. How many times did she have to tell John that she and Edge were friends. The simple fact that she even had to go through the effort of explaining it in the first place angered her. Regardless of what John thought of Edge, it was a sure sign that John didn't trust Lita at all.

Before Lita could answer, Stephanie and Shane entered the room where she and John were talking.

"John, we need to talk about what happened." Stephanie said and then turned to Lita. "Lita, this is a business matter. You'll have to leave the room."

Lita looked over at John. She knew it wouldn't be good for him, but right now she wanted to be alone anyway. It was obvious John wouldn't listen to what she had to say when it came to Edge anyway. The night had been long and Lita wanted to get back to the hotel and simply be by herself.

"No problem." Lita said as she looked at John while saying the words. "John, I'm going back to the hotel. God knows I need to clear my head after all this." She said to him.

As Lita left the room Shane watched her smiling. There was definite tension in the air and he was proud of the fact that most of it was created by his doing.

The last thing John wanted was to be in a room with not one McMahon, but two. Stephanie wasn't quite so bad, but he could read through Shane's half hearted concerned look. The other half was smirking, almost laughing at him. John could sense it a mile away. Shane hated the fact that John had regained the belt, and now John was certain that once again he would lose it.

"I asked Edge to take the week off." Stephanie announced.

John raised an eyebrow. It was only fair he supposed, but at the same time seemed like a light punishment considering the fact that it was Edge who attacked John in the first place.

"Unfortunately for you John, we'll need to have you give up the title. A lot is at stake here and until you can get yourself straightened out I don't see any other alternative." Stephanie continued.

John laughed to himself as he stared at Shane.

"You must be loving this huh Shane-O?" He asked ready to personally wipe the smirk off Shane's face for good.

Shane stepped up to John knowing that John was in no position to lay a finger on him. He got close to him, sticking out his chest as if he were some kind of tough guy.

"You're right, I am. I've never thought you were cut out to be the Champ John, and tonight you proved it." Shane said, now not even trying to hide his satisfaction.

Stephanie looked at the two. It was obvious Shane was rubbing it all in and she hated her brother for it. She hated the fact that John would be losing the title and that Shane was now mocking him where he stood.

"That's enough Shane. We told John what we needed to tell him now lets just leave." Stephanie demanded, grabbing Shane by the arm to pull him away from John.

As Shane backed away he held his smile.

"Sorry it had to go down like this, but you knew it was coming Cena. Now it's my turn to pick the Champ. Who knows, maybe I'll pick Edge." Shane said putting the final nail in the coffin.

As Shane backed away, being ushered out by Stephanie, John slammed the door as they left. Something in Shane's words told John that Shane was playing him and that he knew a whole lot more than what he was letting on. John was no detective, but that much was obvious.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Lita arrived back to the hotel room and threw her gym bag to the floor. After pouring herself a glass of hotel complimentary wine, she walked to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She somehow needed to unwind and get her thoughts together before John would arrive. She hoped between the wine and the splash of water, she might be able to accomplish just that. When she looked at herself in the mirror she noticed that the bruises from the previous week were now starting to fade. Soon she would no longer have to hide behind her makeup. Unfortunately for her though, the damage had been done. Falling down drunk was bad enough but that, she could have covered up. The bruises were different. If it weren't for them none of this would be happening. John would have never confronted Candice like he did and Edge wouldn't have been jumping to any crazy conclusions. As Lita continued to ponder the whole situation, she reasoned to herself that it was better to see John's ugly side now then to end up getting married and realize later that John had some serious hang ups about her past and specifically, her relationship with Edge.

As Lita grabbed a towel off the wall to dry her face she heard someone at the door knocking. John returned quicker than she thought, but why wouldn't he just use his own hotel room key she wondered.

"Coming!" Lita yelled out as she moved to the door and peaked through the peep hole.

She gasped when she saw who it was. Practically the last person she wanted to see right now.

"Edge. You really shouldn't be here. John will be back any minute." Lita said when she opened the door and saw the tall blond Canadian standing before her.

Edge looked at Lita. With her makeup now gone the bruises were now more visible to him than before. It tore him up inside.

"I can handle John. It's you I'm worried about." Edge confessed.

"Edge, what the hell are you talking about?" Lita asked.

Edge reached out his hand and gently lifter her chin to study the bruises and the cut on her lip more closely.

"Lita, you don't have to lie to me. These bruises. John put them there didn't he?" Edge asked.

Lita was shocked. She took a step backwards just to digest what Edge was saying. He actually thought that John had been hitting her, that he was an abusive boyfriend. Everything was now starting to make sense. Edge had noticed the bruises earlier in the night and then saw John getting rough with Candice. What other conclusion could he have made?

"Edge, oh my God, please I know it looks bad but John had nothing to do with the bruises. I told you, I fell. I was in Toronto and I fell. John would never hurt me like that. Ever." Lita said, hoping Edge would listen to her and to the truth.

Edge looked away scratching the back of his head. He didn't know what to believe any more, but at the same time he couldn't just disregard the image that stilled burned in his head. John grabbing Candice, but instead of seeing Candice, Edge was picturing Lita.

"Lita, I saw the way John was pushing Candice around. I see the bruises on your face. How the hell do you get bruises like that just from falling?" Edge asked.

Lita now started to pace. She may have been upset with John at the moment, but the last thing she wanted was for Edge or anyone for that matter to think that he was the kind of man that would hit a woman.

"John went to confront Candice about Toronto. He felt she was responsible for the bruises. You know how she is Edge, she can get under anyone's skin." Lita returned.

"And the bruises?"

Lita looked away. She once again felt the same shame she had felt a week prior when she had to explain how stupidly intoxicated she had gotten. She swore at that moment she would never drink again.

"I don't remember all the details, but I was stupid and got really drunk at the hotel bar we were staying at in Toronto. Apparently I fell and my face landed on the night stand. It's stupid I know. But John had nothing to do with it. He was just as shocked as you are when I came home with the bruises." Lita explained.

Edge simply couldn't believe her story. Lita had never in her life gotten that drunk. Not only did Lita have bruises to prove that John was hitting her, but there had been talk of it amongst the other divas, at least according to Shane McMahon.

Edge moved closer to Lita and placed his hand through her hair and behind her head. The other hand gently grabbed one of her hands and held it.

"Lita, I don't want to see you hurt. You deserve better. You deserved better than Matt, better than me, and better than John. If he's hitting you Lita I swear I'll…"

But before Edge could finish, John had returned and was now making a b-line in their direction.

ooOOOOooooOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOOOooooOOOOOO

As Hunter lie on the bed he played with Stephanie's hair while she snuggled up to him. The TV was on and the two were enjoying some downtime. This was Triple H's softer side. A side he refused to show anywhere outside the bedroom and definitely no where near the ring. It was what Stephanie loved about him most. Despite how hard he tried to intimidate people, he could never intimidate her. She knew better.

"So who gets the title?" Triple H asked.

The whole night's events had been on both their minds since they left the arena. Triple H was concerned about how the situation would be handled backstage. The last thing he wanted to see happen was for Stephanie to give the belt to another newbie like John Cena who had obviously no concept of what it meant to be a champion inside and outside the ring. He would definitely take the opportunity to push for someone like Shawn Michaels, Flair or even himself to regain the title. Just to show the younger guys that things in the WWE just don't get handed to you on a silver platter. You have to earn the respect of the older guys, pay your dues, and if you fuck up, your opportunity to wear championship gold may be lost forever.

Stephanie on the other hand wasn't so much concerned about who to give the title to at the moment, but rather what Shane's role was in everything that happened that night..

The words, "you knew it was coming" rang awkward to her. Knew what was coming she wondered to herself.

"Shane thinks Edge or Masters should get it." Stephanie responded.

Triple H rolled his eyes and smirked.

"Masters? Are you kidding? And giving it to Edge? That's just asking for trouble. You do that then Cena will need to move to Smackdown. Maybe Shane-O didn't notice those two aren't exactly the best of friends."

"Oh he noticed alright. I think that's the point." Stephanie replied.

"Who cares what Shane says anyway, you run creative, he closes the business deals. Fuck him." Triple H said nonchalantly.

Triple H hated how Stephanie worried so much about what Shane thought. It was obvious he didn't do the same for her. As much as Triple H hated to admit it, her choice in giving John the belt was the right one for the company. From a merchandising and ratings standpoint, the company always did better when John Cena was champ. It was obvious Stephanie knew what she was doing. Shane on the other hand didn't have a clue.

Stephanie sighed. Hunter was right. Shane was bulling her into making the wrong decision. He simply wanted Edge to have the title to piss John off. If she didn't know any better, she would have guessed that somehow Shane was behind all this drama in the first place.

Then it hit her. She did know better. All of the friction between Edge and John started when John got the title back from Hunter several months ago. Shane was pushing for Masters at that time, but Vince overrode his choice and went with Stephanie's choice to give it back to John. It's not like John and Edge were ever friends before, but they could tolerate each other. Why did suddenly they become worst enemies?

The thoughts swarmed in Stephanie's mind. Not only did she believe Shane was somehow responsible for the fight that John and Edge had tonight, but that Candice was also responsible. As a McMahon she knew Shane wouldn't break quite so easily, but Candice was weak. If she was hiding something, Stephanie would get the truth.

"You're right Hunter. Fuck him!" Stephanie replied with an evil McMahon smirk planted across her face.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

When John rounded the corner he immediately saw Edge standing at the doorway to his and Lita's hotel room.

In less than 24 hours John had been stripped of his dignity, he had been stripped of the title belt and now he was being stripped of the only woman in the world he cared for and loved. He found it hard to believe that Edge even had the balls to show up knowing that John and Lita were sharing a hotel room. With the blood boiling deep in his body, John went after Edge to finish what they had started at the arena.

"Edge look out!" Lita screamed as she saw John running toward Edge with his arm reared back and ready to strike him.

Before Edge could even gather what was happening, he was greeted with a hard right hook to the face. Immediately he fell to the floor and John was on top of him. John's fists were pounding on Edge one after another while Edge tried desperately to cover up. Lita in the meantime tried to pry John off of him, but John was just too strong. She practically got hit herself in the process. Lucky for Edge though, Lita was enough of a distraction for him to gain some leverage and roll John off of him.

"You son of a bitch!" John yelled at Edge as the two continued to go at it.

"Stop!" Lita yelled at both of them, but just as before, neither one was listening. This time she thought, someone was going to wind up dead.

"You think you're real tough hitting a woman huh Cena?" Edge spat as he drove a fist hard into John's stomach.

At this point, blood was now staining the carpeted hallway of the hotel. As the two men continued to fight Lita ran back into the hotel room to call security.

She hated seeing two men that she loved dearly beating the living hell out of each other and not being able to do anything to stop it. They were tearing each other apart bit by bit and in Lita's mind, for no good reason at all. John hated Edge based on his assumptions that Edge was trying to get Lita back. Edge hated John because he thought John was beating on her. Both men were wrong, but yet both men were too damn stubborn to see the flaws in their assumptions.

By the time security finally arrived to stop the fight, the damage had already been done. Both Edge and John stood with battered bodies and bloodied faces. And both of them would need to see a doctor.

Lita was once again standing between two men she thought she knew, but feeling worlds away from both of them and very alone. Did she really need all this drama she thought to herself. Would the fighting ever stop? While security still held John and Edge tightly to prevent any further hostility, Lita shook her head. Wiping tears from her eyes she walked over to Edge first and stood before him.

Without even a warning, Lita slapped Edge hard in the face.

"I'm a big girl Edge. Do you honestly think that if John was hitting me I would stay with him? Listen closely because I'm not going to tell you again. John has never, ever laid a finger on me. Case closed!" Lita announced and then turned away and walked over to John.

John stood looking at the woman he loved. He could hardly believe she just slapped Edge in the face, but he was also very proud of her for doing it; that was until he also received a hard slap to the face.

"Damn it John, why are you so stubborn? Edge and I are friends. I love you, but if you can't at least deal with that fact then maybe we shouldn't be together." Lita said as she fought hard to keep from breaking down.

Lita was determined to not compromise on that matter especially since the whole issue of her and Edge being friends had more to do with trust then any beef John may have had with Edge. John would have to trust her. If he couldn't do that, then their relationship would be dead before it even really got started.

As Lita stormed off, John and Edge stood dumbfounded watching her leave. Both were rubbing their jaws. Each one had suffered numerous punches to the face, but the one that hurt them the most was the one delivered from Lita.

ooOOOOooOOOoooooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooOOOOO

The following day Stephanie called Candice to her office. There were a lot of things she needed to find out and Stephanie was sure that Candice would be the key.

Candice stood outside of Stephanie's door not prepared for the barrage of questioning she would have to endure. In her mind, she was there to discuss the negotiation of her new contract. Not that she actually trusted Shane, but he did promise her a considerable increase in pay for her part in the whole Toronto fiasco. Candice couldn't wait to hear just how much of an increase that would be.

"Come in." Stephanie called out as Candice knocked on the door.

When Candice opened the door, she sauntered into the office full of confidence. Stephanie remained sitting behind her desk while Candice walked over to her with a smile so sweet it would make anyone sick. Stephanie could read right through it though. If Candice thought she was getting away with anything by acting sweet and innocent, she had another thing coming. Growing up the daughter of Vince McMahon and being one of two heirs to the WWE fortune, Stephanie had seen her share of deceit and dirty business dealings. For better or for worse, Stephanie had grown to be just as shrewd as the rest of the McMahon family. In this case, it would serve her well.

"So Candice, I believe we have a lot to talk about." Stephanie suggested.

Candice's smile got wider.

"Well I just want to say that I really appreciate you renegotiating my contract." Candice confidently stated.

Stephanie smiled at her. She couldn't believe Candice actually thought they were going to discuss her contract. She almost felt sorry for the ex-Playboy playmate, but only a little.

"Contract negotiation? No Candice, you're here concerning a much more serious matter." Stephanie retorted.

The smile on Candice's face dropped almost immediately. She tried to retrace in her mind which one of the many things she had done in the last month that Stephanie caught wind of and wanted to discuss: Sleeping with Shane, sleeping with 3 of 5 members of the Spirit Squad, sleeping with the head of security from the last show. And then it dawned on her: Toronto.

"I've been informed that on your recent trip to Toronto, you helped Lita to her room after discovering she had a little too much to drink. Care to tell me about that?" Stephanie asked.

Candice shifted in her chair.

"Well, it was just like you said. We were all at the bar when I noticed Lita try to get up and almost fall. I decided to help her up to her room and make sure she got to her bed okay." Candice replied biting the bottom of her lip.

"Well, I called the hotel, they mentioned something I found somewhat interesting." Stephanie said pausing to check Candice's reaction. Then she continued. "They said that after Lita checked out of her room they discovered a broken lamp and dried blood on the corner of the night stand. If you helped Lita safely to her bed, why the blood? Why the damaged lamp?" Stephanie continued knowing she had Candice trapped.

"All I know is Lita was fine when I left. I didn't have anything to do with her falling." Candice nervously explained.

Stephanie raised an eyebrow.

"Okay Candice. Let's change the subject then. You and Shane have been sleeping together for quite some time now, and according to Shane, screwing each other during shows." Stephanie said.

"No, not true, well at least not any more. We were. But it was his idea. He forced me into it. I was afraid if I didn't I would get fired." Candice pleaded.

Candice knew the rules better than anyone. All the wrestlers had contracts that clearly stated they were not to engage in any extra curricular activities while on company time. That included drugs and sexual romps with each other or outside parties.

"I'm sorry Candice, but rules are rules. We're going to have to let you go." Stephanie said.

Although she was never a big fan of Candice, it was actually Vince and Shane who convinced her to sign Candice to a contract in the first place, she did feel sorry for her. Stephanie knew that Shane deserved to be "fired" just as much as Candice did, but Shane was a stock holder and a McMahon. Unfortunately for Candice, she didn't have the money or the last name to give her the same immunity that Shane had.

Upon hearing that she had just lost her job, Candice was almost in tears. If not for the fact that she was now so pissed at Shane she wanted to kill him with her own two hands, she would have been broken down then and there. But instead she decided that whatever it took, Shane would go down with her. Just as John had learned about a woman's scorn, Shane would learn it as well.

"It was Shane's idea." Candice started out as Stephnaie raised an eyebrow. "Shane wanted to see bruises on Lita so he asked me to help out. I let her fall when we got back to her room, but that's what Shane wanted. I was pissed at John, so of course I helped. Shane came up with an idea to accuse John of beating Lita to make him look bad. All we needed was physical proof and we got it in Toronto." Candice confessed, finally letting the truth be told.

Stephanie was shocked at what she heard. She could hardly believe she was even related to a man like Shane.

"Okay Candice, I'm glad you told the truth. Your termination will take place immediately following Raw next week. After that I don't want you to step foot in this building or any building where a WWE event is taking place ever again. Is that clear?" Stephanie said sternly as she rose from her desk and leaned in toward a now distraught Candice.

Candice waited for Stephanie to finish and then shook her head in agreement. As she rose from her seat and walked out the office door, she buried her face in her hands and cried. The reality of what she had done now cutting through her like a sword.

**A/N:** Kind of a long chapter I know. Thanks all who have stopped by to read and a big thanks to those who continue to review week after week. Your thoughts have helped to shape this story and I appreciate it. I'm not done yet so keep those thoughts coming. And for those who have yet to leave a review, I will continue to be a review whore and beg for your feedback until you do (lol). Thanks again!


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

John held the phone to his ear and hoped that this time Lita would answer.

It had been several days since Lita decided to stay at a hotel by herself and not with John at their home in Boston. It had been several days since they had even spoken to each other.

"Hey baby, it's me again. Call me babe, I miss you." John said to the automated voice response he was now used to hearing.

As John closed his cell phone he could feel sweat form on his brow. "Oh my God" he thought to himself, "I've really blown it". John had no idea where Lita was staying or how to even reach her. Raw would be in two days and Lita was scheduled to appear. He knew he would see her there, but that wasn't exactly the place he wanted to talk about things since the last time they were together. The only reminder that John had now of Lita was a slap to the face. Alone at night in his bed he could swear he still felt the stinging. If this was John 5 years ago he would have simply found someone to keep him company and get him through the pain. Anyone would have done. A groupie, a diva, anyone to fill the void of a warm body missing from his side. But John was a different man, especially since finding Lita. He had slept alone thinking of her. The days dragged on, but he refused to give in to temptation. The emptiness in his bed was killing him. He had to keep reminding himself that it would be two more days until he would see Lita again. What he feared most though was how long it would be before he actually had her by his side, in his bed and in his arms once again. The reality of that never happening again tortured John throughout every minute of every passing day.

ooOOOOoooOOOOOOOooOOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOooo

Several days later, Stephanie and Hunter were at the arena reviewing the night's show on last time before the first match. Neither John nor Edge would be performing although both would be at the arena. Even though each of them were requested to take a week off, Stephanie had made personal calls to both and demanded they be at the show. In light of what Candice had told her, she wanted them to be there. She was also sure to warn each of them that if either made any attempt to start another fight, they would both be serving a 90 day suspension with no questions asked.

"Thanks for helping me Hunter. You should probably go get changed." Stephanie said as she smiled at Triple H.

Triple H looked at her with an evil grin then scooped her up in his arms for a kiss. The simplicity and almost barbaric way in which Hunter demanded a kiss always seemed to turn Stephanie on. As Stephanie and Triple H lost each other, and the time, in their embrace Lita walked through the doorway. Both Hunter and Stephanie jumped when they heard her walk in. Each of them were just a little embarrassed for getting caught.

Stephanie watched Lita as the young woman stood with her arms folded across her chest. It was obvious to Stephanie at first glance that Lita was on some sort of mission. It was also quite obvious that she hadn't gotten much sleep. Lita was at her wits end and had made a decision she had been stewing over for days. In her mind, this was the first step toward getting some peace in her life once and for all.

"I want to be moved to Smackdown immediately." Lita demanded.

Stephanie turned to Triple H who raised an eyebrow. Lita continued.

"I'm tired of my storyline with Edge and I can't stand all the backstage drama anymore. If I can't be moved to Smackdown, then I'm quitting. I don't care about the Woman's Tile or the money anymore." Lita declared.

Stephanie knew Lita had been through a lot in the last few weeks. She didn't blame her at all for wanting to switch shows and she didn't mind making the change. But before she allowed Lita to make that kind of decision, Stephanie wanted to make sure Lita knew everything.

"Hunter, go get Edge and John and bring them in hear." Stephanie asked Hunter.

As Triple H walked off to bring back John and Edge, Lita's eyes almost popped out of her head. She didn't want to see either one of them right now. As far as she knew neither one was even there at the arena. Lita could now feel the strength she had in making up her mind starting to fade. It was one thing to make demands with Stephanie. It was a completely different thing to hold to those demands when the two people it would affect the most would be there to convince her to stay.

"Stephanie, I don't want Edge and John here. This has nothing to do with them. Lita said.

Stephanie walked closer to Lita and took her hand in a gesture of friendship and comfort. She wanted Lita to know that what she was about to do was for all three of their benefits. She also wanted Lita to know that she could be trusted in what she was about to tell them.

"Lita, there's something all of you need to know. This little game my brother's been playing has gone on long enough." Stephanie revealed.

Lita stared at Stephanie with a quizzical look just as Hunter returned with John.

"Edge is on the way." Triple H told Stephanie.

"Whoa, wait a second big guy, you said nothing about Edge being here." John said angrily until he saw Lita there in the room.

After not seeing Lita for over a week, John almost instinctively walked over to her to take her face in his hands and kiss her with all the passion he'd been saving up through the days, but he didn't. Instead he looked at her with soft eyes. He hated that she had been through so much and he was partially to blame. If only they were alone, he would show her just how sorry he was.

"What's up Stephanie?" Edge asked as he walked into the room.

Immediately his eyes fell on John's and the two shared an evil stare in each other's direction. Before getting too worked up though Edge turned away and looked at Lita. He gave her an awkward smirk only because he didn't know what else to do. He had been feeling like a royal ass over the past week and seeing Lita only reminded him of that fact.

"I know this is probably pretty awkward for all of you." Stephanie started out. Awkward was putting it gently. Stephanie continued. "But I came across some information this past week that you all need to hear."

Stephanie had been contemplating in her mind over how to handle the news that Candice had given her. She thought about confronting Shane with the news first just to get his side of the story, but the more she thought back to her conversation with Candice, the more she realized that Shane didn't deserve that kind of consideration. She could tell when Candice told her everything that she was telling the truth. Going to Shane would only give him a chance to weasel out of the situation. Stephanie knew that Shane would never admit to anything and would simply blame Candice. Now that Stephanie had Lita, John and Edge in the same room, she knew this was the right thing to do.

"It seems that my brother Shane has been using the three of you to make John look bad with the hopes that he could choose the next title holder." Stephanie said with a deep breath.

John, Edge and Lita looked at each other still unclear with what Stephanie was trying to tell them. Stephanie looked over at Triple H who gave her a nod. He wanted her to tell them everything regardless of the consequences. Stephanie took another breath and continued.

"With a little help, Shane set you up in Toronto Lita so it would look like John was hitting you." Stephanie revealed.

"What?" Lita who was sitting now rose to her feet. "What the hell are you talking about Stephanie?"

"You had someone to help you get drunk Lita. The person that was supposed to look out for you was sent by Shane to make sure you'd injure yourself."

Everyone knew Stephanie was referring to Candice.

"So that little bitch made you fall?" John got up and asked. He was infuriated and wanted to kill someone, anyone.

"Wait a second John." Stephanie said. "I've already taken care of Candice. After tonight she's no longer a part of this company. But in all fairness, Shane put her up to it. In order to prove his theory that you were hitting Lita he needed physical proof. He used Candice in order to keep his hands clean. I think Candice kind of got in over her head. I love my brother and always will, but I don't agree with any of this. You all deserve to know the truth."

"Love him or not the little shit's going to die." Edge revealed with anger washing over his already hardened completion. "He told me weeks ago that John had been abusing Lita but I didn't actually believe him. Then when I saw the marks on her face I went ballistic. It all makes sense now. Son of a bitch!"

All three were shocked by the news. All three had been lied to and made fools of. Worse yet, all three had their lives fucked with and turned upside down.

While Triple H and Stephanie tried calming Edge, John and Lita down, Shane unknowingly walked into the room without realizing the circumstances he was intruding on.

"Steph, dad needs you in the control room." He said nonchalantly and was greeted by the faces of three angry wrestlers.

John was the first to head in his direction.

"You son of a bitch!" He said as he went after him with his fists clenched.

But before John could get to him, Triple H cut him off.

"Whoa, whoa whoa. Temper John. What the hell are you so upset for?" Shane asked, truly not knowing that Stephanie had just told them what he had done.

"Wouldn't you like to know you asshole." Edge said. Now it was his turn to go after Shane, but again, Triple H stopped him

It was clear by now to Shane that he needed to get out of there quickly. As he backed away with his hands raised in the air he thanked his lucky stars that Triple H was there to save his ass. Triple H could care less about Shane, but at the same time he didn't want to have to deal with what little would have remained of him had John and Edge been able to get to him. They had a show to do and there was no time for revenge now.

"You people are crazy. Stephanie, you need to get more of a handle on the talent around her." Shane said as he finally turned to leave.

This time Lita went after him, but Stephanie was able to hold her back before she got too far.

"Beating him up now won't prove anything." Stephanie said trying to calm everyone down.

"Maybe not but it sure the fuck will feel good." Edge returned harshly.

"Let me take care of Shane. You guys need to take care of yourselves." Stephanie maintained. "Lita, you have the first match. After that you're free to leave. We can talk later about Smackdown but I want you to think a little longer before making a final decision. Edge, John I want you both to head back to the hotel. I'll see you all next week."

As Stephanie and Triple H headed out the door to get ready for the show, Lita, Edge and John stood before each other with out words.

Edge scratched the back of his head. He looked over at John briefly and then moved over to Lita and grabbed her hand softly.

"I'm sorry Lita, I should have listened to you." He told her.

John watched him carefully. Even with the news that Shane had been playing with their minds the whole time, John still had issues he knew he would need to overcome. Edge cared for Lita. If all of this proved anything, it was that. John would simply have to live with that fact.

As Edge gave Lita one last glance he looked to John and gave him a nod. It was his way of saying that he held no hard feelings toward the man.

"If you decide you want to take Shane out bro, I got your back." Edge told him with a smirk and then left.

And now there were two.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Lita and John stood together alone staring at each other for the first time in a week; a very long week. John lowered his eyes and reached for Lita's hand, but Lita immediately pulled away.

"I gotta go." Lita said as she attempted a quick escape.

It was good to know the truth, and even though she could excuse Edge for his actions, it wasn't so easy to dismiss the way John handled the whole situation. If John could have only handled his jealousy, then Shane's little screw job never would have made the impact that it did. John would have been able to see that Edge was simply concerned for Lita's well being and that's why he suddenly became protective of her. Instead, John did exactly what Shane wanted him to do, go after Edge and truly make himself appear as the animal Shane was accusing him of being.

"Wait baby don't leave, please." John pleaded as he grabbed for Lita's hand and pulled her back to him.

John held Lita's face in his hands and stared sincerely into her eyes.

"Didn't anything that Stephanie had to say make a difference? What was I supposed to think? This was all Shane's doing. Let's pick up the pieces and get back to where we were." John pleaded again as he moved his face closer to hers, dying for a kiss.

Lita once again turned away. John just didn't get it, and Lita was growing even more irritated.

"Yes, Shane fucked us over and I hope the little shit pays for it, but Shane didn't make you attack Edge. Shane didn't make you hate a man simply because you assumed he wanted me back. Shane isn't making you jealous of other men." Lita replied as her voice grew louder.

"Fuck John, you couldn't possibly have made it any easier for Shane to make you look like an asshole." Lita was now yelling.

Her words were harsh and she knew it. After months of frustration and confusion, Lita was now letting go of everything she had been holding back. She loved what she had with John before the Toronto incident and hated the fact that there was now stronger doubt in their relationship than ever before.

Then finally the last blow.

"Maybe I should be thanking Shane for helping me see the real you." Lita spat and then she was out the door.

John clenched his jaw. His first reaction was to punch something, but he held back. His body had endured enough in the last week, and the last time he hit something out of anger, he ended up breaking his hand. The only thing John would be willing to break his hand on was Shane's face. But, since Shane was nowhere to be found, he could only stand there and suck it in.

Why was Lita so hung up on this one issue, he asked himself. Isn't jealousy a sign of love? Edge had accused him of beating her, what else was he supposed to do, lay down and take it? John couldn't help but to let his street reasoning get the best of him. It was time to head back to Boston and get with his buddies. Get back to his roots. God knows if any of his childhood friends saw how torn up Lita was making him, they'd rib him to no end. John was doing just fine before Lita came along and if Lita couldn't see him for the man he truly was, then it was her loss. He would be fine...Just fine. As John left the room and headed out of the arena, the words lingered in his head. What started with a definitive statement slowly echoed in his mind with less impact. What ended with a period, now ended with a question mark. But nonetheless, John was going back to Boston to see his buddies. Surely a night with the boys would wash away all the bullshit in his mind.

ooOOOOOOoooOOooooOOOOOOOOooooooooOOO

Shane rounded the corner looking left and right at every turn. He couldn't help but to think that each corner could be a potential run in with either John or Edge. He knew when he walked into the room where John, Edge, Lita, Triple H and his sister had gathered that something was up. He assumed the worst, but wanted to hear it straight from the woman he knew had the answers. Shane recognized he had to keep cool. That was the key to being a McMahon, never let them see you sweat. It was the one thing he learned most from his father as a businessman. Any sign of weakness, and you're as good as dead.

"Excuse us ladies." Shane said as he saw Candice gathered with some of the other divas.

Before Candice could excuse herself, Shane held her arm to make sure she knew he wanted her to stay.

Candice planted a fake smile on her face as the other divas left. She knew why Shane was there and if it wasn't bad enough that she had just been fired, her night had now gotten worse.

"What the fuck did you tell Stephanie?" Shane started abruptly.

"Nice to see you too Shane." Candice responded as she pulled her arm away from Shane's grip.

Although Shane wasn't necessarily known for his temper, it was obvious to Candice that Shane was not in a normal state. Candice could actually see sweat forming on his brow.

"Okay Candice, lets get one thing straight before you start playing your little games." Shane continued. "You're one thing, a good fuck. Otherwise you're nothing to me. Which means if you don't tell me what you told Stephanie, I'll make sure you don't see another penny in your life." Shane threatened.

Candice almost laughed out loud but knew better. Shane was a powerful man, but he often over estimated just how much power he had. In her mind he confused being spoiled and having everything handed to him, for being a man with real authority.

"You want to know the truth Shane?" Candice asked flirtatiously as she moved closer to Shane and ran her fingernail delicately underneath his chin.

She wanted to tell Shane the truth. Because of him she had been fired and humiliated. Candice had warned that if she went down, Shane would go down with her, and if she was anything, she was a woman of her word.

"I told Stephanie about our little plan." Candice confessed as she smiled up at Shane.

Shane couldn't believe what he was hearing as his eyes practically popped out of his head.

"You what?" He asked, simply because he didn't know what else to say.

Candice put a hand on Shane's cheek and kissed him on the lips. She was the ultimate seductress and her kisses were more a death wish than a blessing.

Shane turned in a fit of anger. He knew that Edge, John and Lita would be looking for blood and if he wasn't paranoid about getting pummeled from one or all of them before, he was even more paranoid now.

As he rung his hands through his hair a look of despair crossed Shane's face.

"You bitch!" He spat at Candice.

Then without warning Shane smacked Candice hard in the face.

The impact made Candice fall to the ground and even Shane was somewhat startled by the impact.

Candice grabbed her cheek and sucked back the tears that desperately wanted to escape. As she rose to her feet she held her stare now locked in on Shane's eyes. Shane for his part was fuming inside but the look he received from Candice made him unconsciously take a few steps backwards.

With Candice now stepping closer to Shane, she dropped her hand and grabbed Shane's tie to pull his face closer to hers.

"You're forgetting Shane. I've got nothing to lose now that I don't have a job. You just signed your own death wish asshole."

Candice pushed Shane and then walked away. Before rounding the corner she looked back at Shane one last time and ran her tongue seductively across her lips. It was time now to start planning revenge.

**A/N: **Sorry, thought I'd keep the angst between Lita and John going for a bit. In the meantime, enjoy seeing Shane suffer a little (lol). Also, please let me know if you like where I'm going with this story. I really want to make it entertaining to read so if I start straying a bit, please pull me back!


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Later that night, Vince McMahon was backstage reviewing show footage when Candice Michelle walked over to him.

"Mr. McMahon." Candice muttered in a hushed voice.

When Vince turned to her he noticed right away that her face was stained with tears and there was a cut on her lip.

"Candice, what happened, are you okay?" He asked alarmed as he pulled her aside so no one would bother them.

Candice looked to the ground. Her years of overacting and drama queen behavior would now come in handy.

"Mr. McMahon, I know this is my last night here, but I never expected for things to turn out this way. I just wanted to try and get my job back." Candice confessed as the words she had been planning in her mind were now spilling from her lips to perfection. The Academy of Art & Sciences would be proud.

"Candice, what are you talking about? Why is your lip cut?" Vince asked.

Candice held her stare toward the floor. She feared if she actually looked Vince in the eye, he may see what was behind them. And what was behind them was pure and sweet revenge.

"Shane." She muttered.

Vince raised an eyebrow.

"Shane? What about Shane?" He continued.

"Shane attacked me. I thought I could trust him. We'd been sleeping together off and on but all of that stopped a few weeks ago. I guess since this was my last night he decided he wanted one more go around." Candice confessed as she buried her face in her hand and started to sob.

As Vince listened to the young woman the veins in his forehead were now starting to show. Candice gathered her breath and then prepared herself for the knockout punch.

"Your son raped me." She declared.

Vince's face now grew even redder. Whether the accusation of Shane raping Candice was true or not, Vince could not afford for this kind of thing to get out. The WWE was trying desperately to hold onto it's spot in primetime television programming. The fact that his only son and co-owner of his very own wrestling empire could possibly have raped one of their high profile divas would not look good to advertisers and studio executives alike.

Vince paced back and forth scratching his head. Finally he stood before Candice and looked her directly in the eye.

"Listen, I don't know what you intend to do, but let me handle Shane. If this is about getting your job back, well, we'll have to discuss that later. If you need money I can offer you whatever you think you need to get through this. But let me handle my son." Vince demanded.

Candice fought desperately to hide her grin. She knew Vince well enough to know he had a very bad temper. If Vince said he was going to handle Shane, that meant only one thing for Shane: pure hell. The best part about all of this is that Candice was beating Shane at his own game. Now he would know what it's like to have someone truly mess with your life, the exact same way he had been messing with John and Lita's lives over the past few months.

Candice was having such a good time at Shane's expense that she decided to draw blood even further. What did she care now? If Shane was going to be exposed for the person he really was, she may as well not hold anything back.

"If you need to find him check with Torrie. He's been sleeping with her too." Candice said as she watched the expression on Vince's face go from angry to much worse. That piece of information was much easier for Candice to deliver. It was the only thing she had said to Mr. McMahon in the last five minutes that was actually true.

ooOOOOooOOOOOooooOOOOoooOOOOoooOOoo

As Vince marched through the hallways looking for Shane he stumbled upon Torrie.

"Where's my son?" He demanded of her just as Shane had emerged from the office door behind her. Both of them were now looking extremely guilty and Shane actually still had lipstick on his face.

"Excuse us Torrie, we have a business matter to discuss." Vince requested, which sent Torrie scampering off like a shadow in the night.

"What's up pops?" Shane asked trying to play it cool, but all the while trembling like a little child inside.

The fact that Shane had managed to get a quick one from Torrie didn't help him relieve the stress that had been building in him since the night began. Not only would he have to worry about John and Edge coming after him, but Shane now had to worry about Candice getting back at him as well. He knew better than anyone that she was the one he needed to fear most of all. In his mind though this was her last night. Raw was now over and she was officially no longer a WWE employee. If he needed to he would simply put a restraining order on her to ensure he never had to see her again.

"I saw Candice just a few moments ago. She was crying and had a cut lip. Do you know anything about that?" Vince asked directly.

Shane knew he was in deep shit now. He'd lied to many people before, but he simply didn't have the balls to lie to his father.

"I lost my temper dad. She's a bitch. She's trying to cause problems backstage. Ask Stephanie, she'll tell you all about it. That's why she got fired." Shane explained. Shane had managed to tell the truth without telling Vince the whole truth.

"She said you raped her." Vince replied.

Shane's jaw dropped. He couldn't believe Candice had actually accused him of rape.

"That's insane, she's insane. You can't believe her dad." Shane pleaded.

"Have you been sleeping with her?" Vince asked.

"Yes, I have, but you know how she is. She's a slut. Who wouldn't take advantage of something like that?" Shane said realizing that his words had lost all reasoning and did nothing to help him in Vince's eyes.

"Damn it Shane!" Vince suddenly erupted. Vince would be damned if his company suffered financially simply because his son couldn't keep his pants on.

Vince then grabbed Shane angrily by the collar and stared at him. His eyes were practically bulging out of his head. You could literally see the steam coming from Vince's ears. If people thought that Vince overacted on television, they were completely wrong. If pushed too far, the man had a temper worse than most and he wasn't afraid to show it.

"Dad, what are you doing, I didn't rape the bitch." Shane said trying hard to pull Vince's hands off of him.

Finally, Vince let go of Shane's shirt and took a step back. His breathing was heavy and all Shane could do was pray that it would all be over soon.

"Okay Shane, since you'd rather be off fucking divas than helping your sister, mother and I run a business, than maybe you need to start thinking about selling your stock options." Vince concluded.

Shane couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was his dad actually suggesting he give up his part of the company? There would be no way in hell.

"You've got to be kidding, I'm you're only son, there's no way..." But before Shane could finish, Vince cut him off.

"Then I'll buy you out myself you ungrateful little bastard!"

And with that Vince stomped off not allowing Shane any chance to respond.

**A/N: ** I'll get back to Lita and John in the next chapter and when it's all over I have a little surprise for all of you which I hope you'll like. I got a little caught up in this whole revenge thing. Candice has really grown on me as a character and I'm having a lot of fun writing her. The McMahon's are a lot of fun to write too I have to admit. Anyway, I wanted to give a quick shout out to Kaykyaka and thank her for giving me the perfect solution in giving Shane a taste of his own medicine ; )


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

As Lita aimed directly at the cue ball, she imagined Shane McMahon's head was the nine ball. "Crack!" A perfect hit and Lita won the game.

"Nice game Lita. Not even becoming a WWE diva has slowed your game one bit." Said a guy affectionately know as "Shorty".

Shorty was actually 6'7" and close to 280lbs of muscle. Not only was he a struggling wrestler laboring away on the Indy circuit, but he had known Lita for well over ten years. When they first met it was at the very bar Lita was at now. Back then Shorty, Lita, The Hardy's, Edge and Christian were all struggling to make it in the business. The tiny little bar that sat on the corner of 54th in Manhattan had become a second home to all of them. It was the only place they could find to just chill out after putting on a show for less than 100 people. Things had definitely changed though in the last ten years and Lita decided it was time she revisit where she came from. She knew that with success came a price to pay; loss of privacy, higher expectations and a busier schedule. What she wasn't prepared for was all the politics and greed that came to make the WWE what it is today. Shane was a perfect example of everything that was wrong with a multi-million dollar family owned business thriving in this day and age.

On the other hand, John Cena was a perfect example of everything that was right with the business. Despite all the lies and deceptions, there were still people in the business like himself who just wanted to wrestle and still be a normal person. Added drama not allowed.

"I try not to let that go to my head" Lita responded as she smiled at her friend and followed him back to the bar for a drink.

A thousand questions were running through Lita's mind as she was finally able to get some perspective on her life, little hole in the wall bars have a way of doing that to you. Would she be so angry with John were they not in such a crazy business? A business that not only took a toll on your body, but your mind as well. A business where you play a character, yet are often identified by people on the outside by the character you play. Lita would be the first to admit she has made some mistakes in her life. Matt and Edge were two of them. But she was allowed to make mistakes. She was no different than anyone else. As Lita reasoned all of this in her mind, she couldn't avoid the one simple question that had been screaming at her the loudest. Does John deserve another chance? Would it all be worth it?

As Shorty handed her a beer, Lita looked to the doorway where a ruggedly handsome, yet somewhat scruffy looking character walked through the door.

"Edge!" Shorty called out to his old buddy.

When Edge saw Shorty standing at the bar, he nodded to him and smiled. Edge had actually been the only one of the original gang that still frequented the place when time permitted. It was dirty, maybe a little on the rough side, right up Edge's alley.

As Edge got closer to the bar he saw to his surprise the long red locks of hair that could belong to only one person.

"Lita, holy shit, what brings you here?" He asked. Truly surprised.

Lita looked up. She really wasn't in the mood to see Edge. Shorty was enough to give her the comfort she needed. He was the only one of her friends who had yet to be "affected" by the wrestling industry. In other words, he still held the innocence of being just one of the boys, as opposed to a WWE "Superstar".

"Just needed a drink. How are the bruises?" Lita asked commenting on Edge's face and the fading reminder of his fight with John.

"They're nothing. With or without them, I'm still one sexy bitch." Edge exclaimed jokingly, which got a good chuckle out of Shorty.

Lita couldn't help but to laugh either. It was comments like that, that helped her to remember why she remained friends with Edge despite all they had been through. He just had a way of breaking the ice regardless of the circumstances.

While the bartender poured Edge a shot of whiskey he sat down on the stool next to Lita. It was obvious that things were still weighing heavy on her mind.

"So, uh, how are things with John?" Edge asked hesitantly. Given the circumstances, he really didn't know what else to ask at the time.

Lita for her part had no idea how John was. She hadn't seen or spoken to him since Raw. She hoped he was okay although she knew that wasn't the case. He had just been accused of beating up a woman, and even though the whole thing had been made up by Shane and Candice, the internet had gotten hold of the accusation and now rumors were flying around like crazy. To a certain extent, his reputation had been damaged. Selfishly, Lita hoped that John was also missing her as much as she was now missing him. That alone should be enough to keep him down.

"I don't know Edge. I'd rather not talk about John. For now, we aren't really a couple." Lita declared. Her voice almost cracking as she spoke.

For as much as Edge didn't really get along with John, even after everything that has happened, he still felt Lita was making a big mistake. The chemistry between the two was undeniable. Even in those times when they were backstage trying to keep their relationship separate from business, the sexual energy between them was out of control. Everyone knew they were a couple, even when they so adamantly denied it.

"Uh Lita?" Edge interjected methodically rubbing the bottom of his chin. "We need to talk."

Lita raised an eyebrow and then ordered another beer. Whenever Edge wanted to talk, it could go on for hours. The man had a gift for gab.

"Talk away." She said.

"I was wrong about John. I know now he would never hurt you physically or mentally. At least not on purpose. I said some things to piss him off. I got a little over protective. The fight we had? He was just reacting the way any guy would have reacted in that situation." Edge said.

Lita laughed to herself.

"Yeah, like a jealous asshole." She retorted.

Edge shook his head. Through his lifetime he had discovered one important thing about women; he would never be able to figure them out.

"Okay, so if he didn't get a little jealous you'd be bitching that he didn't love you enough." Edge responded.

Lita had to admit, he did have a point. Still, Lita felt there were better ways to show you love someone.

"I guess I don't know that I'm ready to jump into another relationship. Especially with another wrestler. I'm a WWE diva. My job is to hook up with men on national television. Vince is adamant about keeping my character as slutty as possible, and all the divas for that matter. John obviously can't handle it." Lita finished hoping that Edge would just let the whole thing drop.

Edge leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Okay Lita, just trying to make up for my part in whatever is going on between you and John. But…"

Lita rolled her eyes, here came the Edge meets The Brady's moral of the day.

"…besides me, there's nobody that's perfect. If you keep waiting for Mr. Right you'll end up getting Mr. Right Now instead." Edge explained, not quite sure what he was saying.

"What?" Lita asked confused by the statement.

"I guess what I'm saying is you need stability in your life Lita. You need John." Edge said and then leaned in and kissed Lita on the cheek before placing some money on the bar and getting up to leave

"See ya Shorty." Edge said to the bigger man and then headed out the door as Lita watched him go.

**A/N:** Okay, kind of took this chapter a little out of my element based on the location and introducing a new character, but I hope it worked for you. Since I also think Edge is a sweet guy in real life based on my one chance to meet him, I was glad to have the opportunity to write him as a good guy. Hope you enjoyed.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 

A frantic knock came to Stephanie and Triple H's door. God forbid they actually enjoy an evening to themselves.

Triple looked to Stephanie with an arched eyebrow.

"Who the hell?" He asked.

Stephanie shrugged her shoulders as she got up from the couch to answer the door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see her brother standing before her.

"Shane?" She said as she stared at her brother who had obviously been drinking.

Shane looked over Stephanie's shoulder to see a very annoyed Triple H behind her. He nodded toward him with a half smirk planted on his face.

"Shane you're drunk. What are you doing here?" Stephanie asked.

"Dad's going to buy me out of the company. I need you to talk to him. He thinks I raped Candice." Shane explained.

Stephanie looked back at Triple H and rolled her eyes. She had heard the accusations Candice had made and the evil McMahon side of her was saying to herself, "that a girl." If Shane was looking for sympathy, he would not get it from her.

"Well did you?" Stephanie asked.

Shane's eyes widened. He was starting to wonder if his family was going crazy.

"Are you crazy? I don't need to rape someone just to get screwed. Especially not a slut like Candice." Shane responded defensively.

By now, Triple H was moving toward the door. He could tell that Stephanie may need a little assistance in getting Shane to leave.

"Well quite frankly Shane, after what you did to John and Lita, nothing about you surprises me." Stephanie said.

Shane smirked to himself. He had come to ask for Stephanie's help and knew that he would need a miracle to get her to oblige.

"Why do you care so much about them anyway Stephanie?" Shane asked.

"Why not care? They work for me Shane, they work their asses off for our company, the least we can do is show them some respect and not try to destroy their personal lives." Stephanie said as she shoved a finger in Shane's chest.

Shane raised his hands in the air.

"Whatever Steph." He replied.

Triple H sighed heavily. He had, had just about enough of the conversation and quite honestly just wanted to get his wife into bed.

"Hey Shane-O, think we can carry on this conversation some other time? You need to go back to wherever you came from." He said stepping closer behind Stephanie as he placed a hand around her waist and kissed her on the neck.

Shane looked between the two of them and smirked. To a certain degree he envied their relationship, and ever since Triple H married into his family, he had become that much more desperate to prove to his father that he should be the sole heir to the company. The fact that he would have to someday share the company with not only his sister, but Triple H as well killed him. In his mind, Triple H was simply a wrestler, not a businessman like himself. He knew nothing about TV program maneuvering, corporate deal making, or milking time for advertising dollars. Unfortunately for Shane though it wouldn't matter much what Triple H knew or didn't know if he couldn't convince Vince to change his mind. Triple H and Stephanie would be running the company without him.

"I'm here to discuss business Triple H, if you could please give my sister and I a second." Shane suggested. The alcohol not only had removed any and all of his common sense, but had also led him to believe he had bigger balls than he actually did.

Triple H made a motion toward Shane. Shane could be as condescending as he wanted to any of the other wrestlers, but not to him. As Triple H pushed forward, Stephanie placed a hand on his chest to hold him back.

"Shane, what do you want?" Stephanie asked impatiently.

A soft look came over Shane's face as he looked into his sister's eyes. He knew he would need to somehow gain her sympathy's.

"Okay Steph, first off I was wrong for what I did to Lita and John. You're right." Shane started with about as much sincerity as an elephant.

"Okay, then apologize to them." Stephanie retorted folding her arms across her chest.

Shane looked to the sky. She wasn't exactly making this easy on him.

"Whatever. Listen, I did not rape Candice and even if I did I have every right to that money. It's not fair what dad wants to do. You have to talk some sense into him." Shane pleaded.

Stephanie held her ground and Triple H smirked behind her. Shane looked over at Triple H and squinted slightly in anger. He then turned back to Stephanie with puppy dog eyes.

"Please Stephanie, talk to dad. I need you." Shane begged.

Stephanie wasn't budging. It may have been a hard lesson for Shane to learn, but it needed to be taught. Even if Vince did decide to buy Shane's stock, it's not like Shane would be suffering. He still held investment properties all over New York. What would hurt Shane though the most is that he would be stripped of whatever power he had.

"Sorry Shane, I can't do that." Stephanie replied and then slammed the door in Shane's face.

As Shane stood behind the door in utter shock, he knew he had just about reached the end of his rope. There was only one more person he could turn to for help, and that in itself would be one of the biggest challenges he would have to face.

OoooOOOOOOOoOOOOOOOOoooOOOOOOOooo

As Lita entered her apartment, the apartment that she and John shared, she threw her jacket and keys on the nightstand and plopped on the bed. It had been a long night but a good one. Lita was actually able to have fun with the help of her old friend Shorty. Edge of course had also managed to make her smile and before she fell asleep, her mind listened to the echo of Edge's words. He was right, she needed stability, but she wondered if John could really be the rock she needed.

As Lita continued to drift into a deep sleep, the vision of John impressed on her mind, she was startled by the sudden ringing of the doorbell.

Looking to the ceiling and wondering if she should even make the effort to get out of bed, Lita slowly rose up and got to her feet. When she did, it felt as though her head weighed a ton. She had drank quite a bit of alcohol at the bar, but the real issue was that she was simply too tired to stand. Almost unconsciously, she dragged her feet across the floor as she moved to answer the door.

Lita's grogginess had gotten the best of her as she looked through the peephole and barely made out the figure waiting behind the door.

"Who is it?" She called out.

"Delivery." Said the man on the other side.

Lita scratched the back of her head. "Delivery?" she asked herself. "Just what time is it anyway?"

Lita turned to look for the clock. She supposed she had fallen asleep so hard and so fast the night before that it was now morning. Although tempted to pull up a shade in her darkened apartment to verify her assumption, she decided instead to simply open the door.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Lita rubbed her eyes several times before she took a chance in believing what she saw. Standing before her at the doorway was the most beautiful man she knew...John Cena.

John's smile was wide, his dimples shooting through the sides of his cheek as he held tightly to a bouquet of flowers.

"May I come in?" John asked innocently.

Lita brushed a hand through her hair. She knew there would be no use in fixing herself up, but she tried anyway. Even though in her heart she still held reservations about John, she had been longing for him all the while. The fact that he appeared before her at a time when her defenses were down certainly didn't help her to stand her ground. She was one of the most stubborn women on the planet earth, but for know she was too damn tired to be stubborn. Edge was right, John was the one she needed in her life. Her rock. She decided that despite her stubbornness, maybe it was time to throw caution to the wind and just give it another try.

"Sure, come on in." Lita said with control in her voice, even though inside the butterflies in her stomach were killing her.

John smiled and took a step forward until he stood within inches of her. His eyes holding steady on her face.

"These are for you." He said extending the flowers out to her.

Lita looked at them and blushed. She had never been a girlie kind of girl, but she did have a soft spot for flowers.

"You didn't have to do that John." She said as she took the flowers from his hand and immediately nervously turned to place them on the coffee table inside the living room. It was almost as if she was seeing John for the first time and they were teenagers getting ready for their first date.

By the time Lita returned, which took less than half a second, she was in awe with what she saw. There was John Cena on bended knee, his hand reached out to hers.

oooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooo

Shane arrived at Candice's door pounding furiously. That fact that his very own sister refused to help him angered him to no end.

"Coming!" Candice yelled from within as she wrapped herself in a loose fitting and very revealing robe.

Candice peaked through the keyhole to find out who it was and then opened the door.

While tying the front of her robe together to make sure Shane wouldn't get any free peaks, she leaned casually against the doorway. She knew in her mind why Shane was there and she loved every second of it. She couldn't help but to smile at him and waited for him to beon

"Is there something funny?" Shane asked as he noticed Candice's amused look.

"No, not at all. Just a little surprised to see you here especially since you know I'm not you're little bitch anymore Shane." Candice said.

Shane smiled to himself. He couldn't help but to respect Candice's fire, but at the same time he hated the fact that she was playing with him. Worse even still was the fact that he had to put up with it if he wanted any chance of getting Vince to change his mind.

"Oh you're still a bitch Candice, and let's get one thing straight, I cut you off, not the other way around." Shane said satisfied with his comments.

Candice wanted to burst out laughing. Even though she knew Shane was on the verge of practically begging for her help, he still tied to act as if he was in control. The notorious McMahon ego would be the death of him and he was too stupid to realize it.

Candice smiled at Shane and then grabbed the door and started to slam it in his face, but Shane was able to stop it.

"Okay Candice." He said now taking a more serious tone. "I think you know why I'm here." Shane said.

"Yes I do Shane and if you try anything stupid not only will you not get your money back, but you'll also be pissing blood for the next week." She warned.

Candice had felt the sting of Shane's hand on her face and she wasn't about to let that happen again.

Shane raised his hands in innocence.

"Have I ever tried anything before? If there was any raping going on it was you raping me." Shane replied unable to control his unfiltered mouth.

"Dream on Shane." Candice said rolling her eyes.

"Can I at least come in?" Shane asked after a moment.

"No". Candice replied sharply.

Shane started to pace as he collected his thoughts. If he couldn't convince his own sister to plead in his case to Vince, how would he ever expect Candice to do it? It was obvious she enjoyed watching him suffer.

"Okay Candice, I know you well enough to know what you want, so here's my offer. I get you your job back and the woman's title, and you talk to Vince and tell him the truth." Shane said with a smile feeling confident that she would accept.

Candice looked to the sky as if she was mulling over the offer. She tapped a finger on her chin and then after a few seconds just for the hell of it she finally retorted.

"No." Candice replied.

Shane immediately grew angry.

"No! What do you mean no? You little bitch." He said as he made a motion toward her and grabbed her arm roughly.

Candice grimmaced briefly from the pain but then realized she had nothing to be afraid of. She was the one who held all the cards. If Shane wanted to play, he would have to play nicely and by her rules. She immediately pushed Shane away while pulling her arm from his grip.

"Not only are you a jackass Shane, but you're a dumbass as well." Candice replied rubbing her arm as Shane stood before her with a hardened look on his face. "Here's what I want: my job, the woman's tile, a new contract and an apology. Not only to me, but to Lita and John as well. I want them to know that you were the one responsible for all the lies not me. I don't tell Vince the truth until you've fulfilled all my requests." Candice said sternly smiling inside.

Shane stood in utter disbelief. Candice had balls, and even he had to admit, she had bigger balls then him. The fact that he would have to apologize to John Cena was the worst part of the whole deal in his mind.

"Okay Candice, deal." Shane said admitting defeat.

Candice folded her arms across her chest as she watched Shane turn to leave.

"Uh Shane, don't you owe me something? It IS part of our deal or have you forgotten?" Candice asked.

Shane turned back to Candice with a smirk on his face. Let the humiliation begin.

"I'm sorry Candice." Shane said with his head to the ground, unable to actually look her in the eyes.

"Nope, that's not good enough. You want your precious money back Shane I want you on your knees when you apologize. For some reason I just don't feel the sincerity with you on your feet." Candice said sarcastically.

Shane looked at Candice with stupid smirk on his face. Dollar signs were ringing in his brain, and so he humbly obliged.

**A/N: ** Two men on their knees (lol). I couldn't resist. So do you like John on bended knee or Shane on bended knee (hahahaha)? Hope you liked the chapter and please let me know what you think. A few more chapters to go and I will have officially reached the end of this story. For those of you who like this story and have not read the prequel, "Why Do Thugs Fall In Love", you might enjoy that story as well and I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thank you!


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Lita looked at John in utter amazement while standing there frozen and on the verge of tears. Was he really going to propose to her, she asked herself?

Then suddenly the phone rang. Lita rolled over in her bed. At first she had no idea were she was, but was quite surprised to find herself not standing in front of John, who was on one knee, but rather in her bedroom alone with the phone blaring in her ear. She looked at the clock sitting next to the phone: 8:10am. Then she looked toward the window. Even though the blinds were down she could still see sunlight creeping through. "Damn It!" She screamed to herself. It was all a dream.

"Hello!" She said into the phone enraged that she had been awoken out of one of the best dreams she had ever had.

"Whoa baby doll, calm down, it's Shane McMahon." Shane said on the other end of the phone.

Lita rolled her eyes. The son of a bitch had a habit of destroying everything beautiful.

"What do you want Shane?" She asked annoyed.

"I want you to come to my office. There's something I need to tell you." Shane said.

"Do you actually think I would come see you alone? No way. I don't trust you Shane. Not only do I not trust you but I don't trust myself. With no one around I just might be tempted to kill you with my two bare hands." Lita warned.

"Whatever baby doll. You may be tough, but if it came right down to it I would have no problem putting you in your place." Shane replied smugly.

If the truth be told, both he and Lita knew that Lita could kick Shane's ass any day. Not only was Shane a pussy, but Lita had motivation.

"Can't whatever you have to say be said over the phone?" Lita asked.

Shane wished that it could have but that wasn't part of the bargain. Candice demanded that he apologize to both Lita and John face to face, like a man, and she had ways of finding out if Shane would actually follow through with it. Shane's hope in calling Lita first would be that he wouldn't have to meet with John one on one at all. Simply apologizing to Lita was good enough in his mind.

"No." Shane said abruptly. "Listen, just come to the arena early, I'll meet with you there." Shane ended trying hard to make himself sound harmless.

Lita thought about it for the moment. She had no idea what Shane was planning and she didn't want to get suckered into one of his manipulative little games. On the other hand, there would be other people around and she now knew not to trust Shane no matter what he said. She also knew that Stephanie was on her side, so if Shane tried anything stupid, Lita would be quick to notify her.

"Okay Shane. Goodbye." Lita replied and then slammed down the phone.

As she lay back in her bed she tried hard to fall back to sleep, but she just couldn't do it. Instead she was left longing and wandering if the moment her and John reunited would ever truly come.

ooOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOoo

As Lita arrived early for Raw, just as Shane had requested, she held onto the image of John Cena at her door. It had been a week since Lita last heard from John. Not that she blamed him for running off to Boston just to get away. The last time they were in the same room she called him an asshole. John loved Lita with all his heart, but he could only take so much. "Glad you made it baby doll." Shane said with a grin as he approached Lita. Lita rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'm here, what do you want Shane?" She asked with her arms folded across her chest. Shane decided the best approach was to butter her up as much as possible. Just like Stephanie and Candice before, he knew Lita would not make things easy for him. Whether she actually accepted his apology or not was no real concern of his. The deal was to simply apologize. The goal was to make it seem as genuine as possible. 

"I owe you an apology." Shane said, unable to make eye contact with her for the short amount of time it took to say those five simple words.

Lita raised an eyebrow and laughed to herself.

"An apology huh? Who's holding the gun to your head Shane because this sure as hell isn't coming from you."

Shane smirked. Lita was of course right. Shane would never have come to apologize under his own free will. He stepped closer to Lita as he held his half smile. He had to admit, despite the attitude, he loved her red hair and the smell of her body. Lita though stepped away from him the second he motioned closer.

"Please Shane. Your advances may work on some women, but not me." She said refusing to be intimidated by him.

Shane stepped away. Lita was a tough woman, so regardless of whatever approach Shane decided to use to soften her up, she wasn't buying any of it.

"Can't we just get back to where we were, before all this?" Shane asked mockingly.

"Oh, you mean when you set me up by sending me flowers and then took advantage of me when I was drunk?" Lita snapped back.

"My intention was never to hurt you baby doll, it's your boyfriend John I wanted. You just got in the way. So for that, I'm sorry. Friends?" Shane asked extending his hand out to hers.

The temptation to kick Shane in the McMahon family jewels at that moment was almost overwhelming for Lita, but lucky for Shane she was able to control her anger.

"Sorry Shane, but the touch of you skin would probably make me puke. Wouldn't want to cause a scene now would we?" Lita remarked.

Shane shrugged his shoulders and just when he was about to turn and leave, he was shoved hard against the wall. The impact almost knocking the wind out of him as John Cena held Shane by the collar, choking him by his tie, and stared him directly in the eyes.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing Shane? You got a lot of balls to even be near Lita right now." John said shoving Shane harder against the wall with almost every word.

Shane looked at John with wide frightened eyes. His attempt to avoid John all together had back fired. What the hell was he doing at the arena so early anyway he wondered to himself.

"John stop, its okay. He came to apologize." Lita explained as she placed a hand on John's shoulder.

Her concern was not for Shane, but she didn't want John to do anything that would jeopardize his career. Whether they liked it or not, Shane was after all the boss's son.

"Apologize, right. Shane-O can take his apology and go fuck himself with it." John responded, shoving Shane hard against the wall once again.

"John please." Lita said, now truly concerned that John's temper would get the best of him and he would do something stupid. "He's not worth it."

John's eyes remained locked on Shane. He could feel Shane wilting beneath his grip as he struggled to get himself free. Finally, John let him go.

Lita then wrapped her arms around John's waist and pulled him back while Shane stood trying to catch his breath and fix his tie.

"Get the fuck out of here Shane before I give you what you really deserve." John threatened.

Shane then straightened up with an arrogant smirk and held his hands in the air. He had finally gotten the message once and for all and he was thankful that he was able to at least walk away. As he took several steps backwards before turning to leave, Shane had hoped that his little "apology" was enough to make Candice tell Vince the truth.

As John watched Shane leave, Lita still held him around his waist. She was physically and emotionally drained and couldn't help but to simply rest her head on his shoulder.

"You okay?" He asked her.

Lita raised her head and moved John to face her. Edge was right, John was her rock, the man she wanted to be with the rest of her life. Whatever issues they had between them could be worked out. She was convinced of that. John was a good man, the right man, the man she wanted to marry.

"John, I'm sorry. I've been way too hard on you. With everything that's happened, I just want us to be together now." Lita told him.

John brushed a hand through her silky hair as a smile came across his face.

"I love you baby." He said and then bent down to kiss her.

**A/N:** One more chapter, and this will be where I make the whole dream sequence tease up to you. Stay tuned and thanks again for your continued support of this story and your awesome (and more importantly) helpful reviews!


	19. Author's Note

**A/N:** Something got screwed up when chapter 18 was posted so I'm not completely sure that an alert went out to those on the alert list. So, I'm posting this to simply tell you all that "Thug Love" has been updated to chapter 18. Would love to hear what you think and please don't hate me for it! Thanks all!


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 19**

Shane barged into the women's locker room holding the back of his head, still feeling the pain from John's hard shove, and desperately looking for Candice. The diva's that were in the locker room getting ready for the show looked over at Shane with shock and amusement. Some ran to cover themselves up while others just simply held their laughter. "Had the boss's son gone mad?" They wondered.

Shane's act of bravado only moments ago in front of John was simply that, an act. Truth be told, when John grabbed Shane by the collar, Shane thought for sure he would end up with a fist in his face or much, much worse. He was thankful that Lita of all people was there to save his ass. Candice though would not be so nice.

"Candice." Shane called while the other divas remained to watch what was about to happen.

When Candice turned to see Shane standing there in the middle of the woman's locker room she became extremely amused.

"What's wrong Shane, hurt you head?" She asked as she observed he was rubbing the backside of his head.

"Whatever Candice. I did everything we discussed. You can ask John and Lita yourself. Now, go talk to Vince before I drag you to his office myself." Shane threatened.

The other women all turned to each other and whispered. They had no clue as to what was going on between Candice and Shane, but whatever it was, it was interesting as hell.

Candice laughed to herself. In her mind she had decided that Shane had, had enough and that regardless of whether Shane actually apologized to Lita and John she would tell Vince the truth eventually. She simply wanted to see Shane squirm a little. But, every time Shane opened his mouth he seemed to dig himself into a deeper hole. Candice was the last person he needed to be threatening right now. He had already laid his hands on her once, she'd be damned if he would do it again. At least not until she got the first punch.

"Shane, Shane, Shane, still using threats to get your way?" Candice replied as she made her way seductively closer to him.

"Ladies, I have an announcement to make." Candice said knowing she had an audience. "Shane McMahon is an over-paid, spoiled little jackass who can't last longer than five minutes in the sack." Candice pronounced with content.

All the girls broke out laughing. Shane on the other hand was not happy at all and just when he was about to grab Candice by the arm, 'BOOM', she got him with a right hook square in the face. The strength of the hit threw Shane backwards and on his ass as he held his now bleeding nose.

"Okay Shane, NOW I'll go talk to Vince." Candice said smiling as she sauntered away and out of the locker room.

ooOOOOooOOOOOOOOOOooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooo

After the show John snuck up behind Lita and wrapped his arms around her. He lowered his head and whispered in her ear.

"I want to take you home, now." He demanded.

Lita's eyes lit up. The sound of his voice was music to her ears. The more Lita took time to reflect on what Edge had told her about John, the more she could see deeper into his soul; past his jealous fits and at times bad temper. These two simple things did not make up the entire person that was John Cena. He was underneath it all caring, protective, sweet and funny. He was most importantly the rock she needed in her life. She now knew that no matter what, he would be there for her. To defend her if she needed it. Even through hard times, they had somehow managed to come back to this point. A point where they started and now would end.

"I'm ready whenever you are." Lita replied smiling up at John.

As John and Lita made there way out the door and back to their home, Edge watched them leave in the distance. Even though he had never really experienced the kind of love that John and Lita shared, he was glad to see Lita experiencing it herself.

ooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo

As John and Lita approached the front door to their home, it started to feel just like old times when everything was new, and the whole world was open before them with endless possibilities. John had realized after spending time back in Boston that whatever challenges he faced in being involved with a fellow wrestler like Lita that it was all worth it. He had seen too many of his friends back home still searching for that special someone. Most of those guys were too proud to admit that they could actually fall in love. Not John. Lita was quickly becoming his soul mate. He knew in the back of his mind that no matter how many of his buddies had told him to forget about her and play the field, that all of them wanted a woman like Lita. This time, as both were finally home, John would never let her go again.

"Wait." John said as Lita opened the door and was about to walk in.

John smiled at Lita then lifted her off of her feet, carrying her into the living room as if they were newlyweds. Lita laughed to herself. She definitely wasn't used to this kind of treatment and never expected it from John.

As John kicked the front door closed with his foot he proceeded to carry Lita to their bedroom and lay her down gently on the bed. Falling next to her he stared into her eyes and ran a finger through her hair.

"Lita, I missed you, I missed this." He told her.

John had missed being with Lita and being able to forget everything else that was going on around him. When he was with her he had no worries of WWE Title pushes, backstage politics, press appearances or autograph signings. All of that changed of course the second Shane made it a point to fuck with their lives, but now that was behind them. John was sure of it. They had both learned a hard lesson and were now a stronger couple for it. As John thought back on the recent months he smiled to himself and wondered if he should actually be thanking Shane for making them the couple they were today. Nah, the little bastard deserved nothing but life long misery. It was Lita and John who got themselves to this point. Regardless of Shane's interference in their lives, they would have become who they are today all on their own. John was sure of it.

"Can we make a deal?" Lita asked John who now lowered his head to kiss her just underneath her chin.

"What baby?" John asked as his breath began to grow deeper.

"No more jealousy." Lita whispered. "There's nothing you ever have to be jealous of John. I love you and I only want you, no one else."

John lifted his head and once again stared down at the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.

"I love you too baby, and no matter what it takes, no more jealousy." John replied.

"Good, now help me forget the past couple of months." Lita demanded with a huge smile on her face before placing her hands on the back of John's neck and moving his face closer to hers until their lips crashed together.

As the two continued to kiss each other with every ounce of passion they had been bottling up inside, John worked to removed Lita's clothes. He took his time though moving slow and soft. He wanted the experience of feeling every part of her body in his hands. It was more than just about physical attraction for him, it was about being one with the woman he loved.

Lita felt John's hand move up and down her body. She quivered every time he removed a piece of her clothing as she could feel the cool air coming from the fan above them, but John was always quick to warm her with his hands. Maneuvering in a way that kept her safe from all the elements beyond them. What had felt like chills now felt like a warm bath as both John and Lita's infatuation grew stronger.

Now that John had Lita completely naked he let his mouth and tongue drift along her neck all the way down to her navel. Lita in the meantime unsnapped the button on John's shorts allowing herself to trace every chiseled muscle along his abdomen. Before long, both John and Lita's bodies were engaged in perfect synchronicity. Their movements subtle, yet powerful.

"Lita." John said before finally entering inside of her. "I don't want this to be a temporary thing, I want this to last forever." He confessed.

The words penetrated through Lita's brain as one word seemed to ring repeatedly though her head. Only one word could represent the true meaning of what John was saying. But before Lita jumped to conclusions, she simply wanted to enjoy the moment. John and Lita had been yearning for this for months now. It was more than just about sex, it was the fact that they were satisfying each other on every level. So while John moved his hips into Lita's she took a deep breath and let him lead the way. There would be plenty of time to discuss the one thing that had been on her mind, and now seemed to be on John's mind as well. This was no time to discuss the one word that would hold them together for ever. The topic of marriage would have to wait until morning.

THE END

**A/N:** I couldn't help but to let Candice have the last laugh. She just really grew on me as a character as the story went on. SO much so I'll have to use her more now that I know she can play a really good vixen type character. As for John and Lita, I hope you all enjoyed the ending. I enjoyed writing it. (lol).

Anyway, that's it for this story. I'm not sure what to write for my next story but I do know what Superstars I want to include. I'd really appreciate it if maybe someone could send me some ideas for these characters and a story I could write. Here they are: Dave Batista, Trish Stratus, Shane McMahon, Triple H and some other diva.

Finally, thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. Your reviews made it fun to write this story (both Thug Love and Why Do Thugs Fall In Love). Muchos Gracias People!!!!


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